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Six All Blacks named in Waikato's squad for NPC season
Waikato Rugby is pleased to announce their initial 38-man Bunnings Warehouse National Provincial Championship (NPC) squad for the upcoming 2022 season.
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Ayden Johnstone returns as one of the co-captains from 2021 but this season he is joined in that leadership role by experienced openside flanker, Mitch Jacobson, who will add to his 62 Waikato caps this season.
The bulk of the 2021 squad has returned in 2022, with 35 of the 38 players returning for this season. There are three players who have a chance to make their Waikato debut this season.
These players are Te Awamutu Sports inside back, Taha Kemara, Hamilton Old Boys prop, Solomone Tukuafu and Samoan powerhouse utility back, Alapati Leuia, who returns from Europe after 8 seasons with the Wasps (20 appearances) and Bristol Bears (31), he has also made 26 appearances for Samoa since 2013.
This seasons squad features six current or former All Blacks, 24 Super Rugby players and 2 current Samoan Internationals.
This season could see nine player reach playing milestones. Liam Messam currently has 99 Waikato caps and has a chance to become Waikato’s newest centurion. While Sefo Kautai (46), Bailyn Sullivan (45) and Jack Lam (42) all have a chance of reaching their 50 games milestone for the province.
There are 5 players who are in-line to receive their 18th game Blazer this season, these players are Xavier Roe (17), Mosese Dawai (15), George Dyer (12), D’Angelo Leuila (11) and Simon Parker (11).
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Waikato head coach Ross Filipo said, “We are again pleased to name a squad that is made up predominately of players from the 2021 season. We are extremely proud that we were able to achieve a Premiership title in the extreme circumstances we were under, but this year is another season, so we are to resetting and do it all again.
We as a coaching group once again were looking for players with great character and are hard-working men that will strive to make this province proud once more and continue to build on our successes from last season.”
Waikato’s 2022 Bunnings Warehouse NPC campaign begins on Saturday (August 6) against Hawke’s Bay Magpies at FMG Stadium Waikato as game 3 of a triple header at the stadium.
2022 Waikato Bunnings Warehouse National Provincial Championship Squad
Hamilton Burr (29) Hautapu
Rob Cobb (21) Hamilton Old Boys
Tepaea Cook-Savage (7) Fraser Tech
Liam Coombes-Fabling (22) Fraser Tech
Sam Cooper (10) Hamilton Old Boys
Mosese Dawai (15) Hautapu
Rhys Dickinson (5) Fraser Tech
George Dyer (12) Fraser Tech
Samipeni Finau (22) Hamilton Old Boys
Luke Jacobson (22) Hautapu
Mitch Jacobson (62) Hautapu – Co-Captain
Ayden Johnstone (33) Hautapu – Co-Captain
Sefo Kautai (46) Hamilton Marist
Taha Kemara (*) Te Awamutu Sports
Jack Lam (42) Hamilton Marist
Alapati Leuia (*)
D’Angelo Leuila (11) Fraser Tech
Anton Lienert-Brown (21) University
Tom Martin (4)
Rhys Marshall (4)
Damian McKenzie (26) University
Laghlan McWhannell (22) Hautapu
Steven Misa (28) Hamilton Marist
Liam Messam (99) Hautapu
Ollie Norris (31) Hautapu
Simon Parker (11) Hautapu
Cortez Ratima (21) Otorohanga
Te Rama Reuben (1) University
Xavier Roe (17) Hamilton Old Boys
Daniel Sinkinson (1) Melville
Bailyn Sullivan (45) Hamilton Marist
Samisoni Taukei’aho (44) Fraser Tech
James Thompson (20) Hautapu
Ryan Tongia (5)
James Tucker (53) Hamilton Marist
Solomone Tukuafu (*) Hamilton Old Boys
Quinn Tupaea (32) Hamilton Old Boys
Gideon Wrampling (18) Te Awamutu Sports
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() = caps for Waikato
* = uncapped for Waikato
-Press Release/Waikato RU
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
45 Go to comments