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Super Rugby Rumours: Highlanders first-five roundabout continues as Hurricanes nab Barrett backup
With New Zealand’s Super Rugby squads set to be announced on Wednesday, the rumour mill has been turning non-stop.
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New Zealand’s provincial season will come to a close on Saturday night and by the end of next week plenty of the competition’s top performers will have found new homes at Super Rugby level.
RugbyPass understands that a handful of last night’s Championship winning Waikato team will be making the jump to Super Rugby when the season commences in February.
Propping pair Ayden Johnstone – a former New Zealand U20 representative – and Josh Iosefa-Scott look set to join the Highlanders next year, while the first-five eighths that did battle in Friday night’s Championship final will be heading in different directions come 2019.
Waikato first-five eighth Fletcher Smith has been linked with the Hurricanes while his opposite, Otago’s Josh Ioane, has been rumoured with a move north to the Waikato-based Chiefs.
Both Smith and Ioane were members of the Highlanders last season, backing up Lima Sopoaga and splitting time at fullback.
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Smith played a key role in Waikato’s Mitre 10 Cup resurgence, with his accurate goal-kicking and playmaking ability a deciding factor in several games this season. He also led the competition in points scored with 119.
It now seems the Dunedin-based Highlanders will be going with former Waikato first-five eighth Bryn Gatland moving forward, who confirmed that he would be joining the club in May. The incumbent Sopoaga played his final match for the team last season and is now plying his trade with Premiership club Wasps in Coventry.
The Mitre 10 Cup’s leading try scorer, Sevu Reece, looks to be without a team despite a standout year in which he scored 14 tries. Reece was originally set to join Irish club Connacht in the Pro14 next year before his offer was rescinded following an off-field incident for which he was discharged without conviction.
A player that could potentially make the leap who also featured in Friday’s Championship final is Otago outside back Vilimoni Koroi.
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The 20-year-old went from starring at the Condor Sevens with Feilding High School to the New Zealand Sevens setup. Almost two years after his debut on the sevens circuit, the diminutive winger has become a star for Otago and looks poised to take the next step in his young career.
Other suspected signings include Taranaki and New Zealand U20 halfback Xavier Roe, St. Peter’s College star Niko Jones and Auckland flyer Salesi Rayasi.
Roe is expected to join the Chiefs while Jones – son of All Blacks great Michael – has reportedly been snapped up by the defending champion Crusaders. Rayasi, who was schooled at Wellington’s St. Patrick’s Siverstream, has been linked with a move home to join the Hurricanes.
22-year-old winger Rayasi was a member of the World Cup-winning New Zealand Sevens side earlier this year and has enjoyed a stellar Mitre 10 Cup campaign with Auckland, crossing for nine tries.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
Yet, according to Jake White and other twonks who think better, Jenkins shouldn’t be picked by the boks. Daft.
5 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
5 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
5 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to comments