[2014 ITM Cup] Round 7

[Darwin]

[TABLE="class: responsive, width: 796"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 5"]Week 7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]24 Sep[/TD]
[TD]North Harbour v Canterbury[/TD]
[TD]Albany[/TD]
[TD]7:35 PM[/TD]
[TD]0-0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]25 Sep[/TD]
[TD]Bay of Plenty v Northland[/TD]
[TD]Mt Maunganui[/TD]
[TD]7:35 PM[/TD]
[TD]0-0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]26 Sep[/TD]
[TD]Taranaki v Auckland[/TD]
[TD]New Plymouth[/TD]
[TD]7:35 PM[/TD]
[TD]0-0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]27 Sep[/TD]
[TD]Waikato v Manawatu[/TD]
[TD]Hamilton[/TD]
[TD]2:35 PM[/TD]
[TD]0-0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]27 Sep[/TD]
[TD]Counties Manukau v Wellington[/TD]
[TD]Pukekohe[/TD]
[TD]5:35 PM[/TD]
[TD]0-0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]27 Sep[/TD]
[TD]North Harbour v Hawke's Bay[/TD]
[TD]Albany[/TD]
[TD]7:35 PM[/TD]
[TD]0-0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]28 Sep[/TD]
[TD]Tasman v Otago[/TD]
[TD]Nelson[/TD]
[TD]2:35 PM[/TD]
[TD]0-0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]28 Sep[/TD]
[TD]Canterbury v Southland[/TD]
[TD]Christchurch[/TD]
[TD]4:35 PM[/TD]
[TD]0-0[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


Logos will be added.
Fixtures will be confirmed.
Teams will be named.
Rugby will be played.
Canterbury will win.
Discuss.

 

[Darwin]

Canterbury vs North Harbour tonight.

Canterbury: Johnny McNicholl, Nathaniel Apa, Adam Whitelock, Ryan Crotty, Rob Thompson, Richie Mo'unga, Mitchell Drummond, Luke Whitelock (capt), Jed Brown, Reed Prinsep, Dominic Bird, JJ Manning, Siate Tokolahi, Codie Taylor, Alex Hodgman.

Reserves: Seb Siataga, Sione Faletau, Scott Barrett, Nasi Manu, Willi Heinz, Brett Mather, Patrick Osborne.

Canterbury are fielding very much a 2nd string side (it is only North Harbour), but it is good to see Crotty & Bird starting. Luke Whitelock is captain, and some guy called Reed Prinslip is at 6 (no idea who he is?). I can't see the North Harbour side listed anywhere, but one suspects it won't really matter what sort of lineup they field......... (North Harbour are now bound to pull off the upset of the season...).

 

[hjklhjkl]

North Harbour by 20 points

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

The TAB have given Canterbury a 27 point start, which I think seems a bit generous given the team they've put out (though last time I said that I was proven wrong, a Canterbury team is a Canterbury team).

North Harbour: Robbie Robinson, Luke Devcich, Matt Vaega, Matt McGahan, Tevita Li, Daniel Halangahu, Bryn Hall (c), Leigh Thompson, Josh Blucher, Brandon Nansen, Hayden Triggs, Gerard Tuioti-Mariner, Nic Mayhew, James Parsons, Greg Pleasants-Tate. Reserves: Ray Niuia, Alex Woonton, Irwin Finau, Zak Judge, David Bason, Niko Tatumaikavuki, Dennis Pili Gaitau.

 

[Darwin]

(North Harbour are now bound to pull off the upset of the season...).

I'm going to claim I called it....

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Well. I put $10 on Harbour to get within 27, so made $8.70...

 

[Regan]

Hmm Northland paying $2.10 good odds.

 

[Darwin]

Hmm Northland paying $2.10 good odds.

Yep, they look like good odds to me too.

I see Vito is back for Wellington. I imagine it will be too little, too late for Wellington though. I know Wellington have had a horrendous run of injuries, but I can't really work out what Boyd is doing with the fit players he has. The backline for the Wellington match reads: 9. Rangihuna, 10. Ripia, 11. Curtis, 12. Peleseuma, 13. Proctor, 14. Woodward, 15. Garden-Bachop. Proctor is not a centre. Woodward is far more effective on the wing, and Garden-Bachop is not a fullback. The strange thing is that they wouldn't even need to bring in any new players for everyone to play in their best position - a backline of 9. Rangihuna, 10. Ripia, 11. Curtis, 12. Garden-Bachop, 13. Peleseuma, 14. Proctor, 15. Woodward would be far more effective in my opinion, but who am I to question the Wellington coaching staff given their fantastic record this year.... :huh:

 

[Regan]

Good result in the end. Won all my bets, Northland to win and Northland 1-12

 

[Darwin]

Taranaki vs Auckland tonight. Should be a good match. It's a 50:50 game for me (and at the TAB apparently).

It will be good to see Tuipolotu get some more game-time, and I'm interested to see how Faiane goes at 12, as he has been quite impressive thus far.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Taranaki vs Auckland tonight. Should be a good match. It's a 50:50 game for me (and at the TAB apparently).

It will be good to see Tuipolotu get some more game-time, and I'm interested to see how Faiane goes at 12, as he has been quite impressive thus far.

While I think Auckland might have have a slightly better team on paper, Taranaki have certainly performed better as a unit thus far. Providing McKenzie continues his good form I think Naki will take the match by a few points.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

What a great game of rugby that was - probably one of my top matches of the season! (It always helps when Auckland loses)

> I've never been a fan of Broadhurst in the past, but his form this year, particularly in the ITM Cup, has been very good. If he pushes on for the Canes in 2015 he could well be looking at a potential All Blacks call up should injury strike.
> It's interesting to see that after a horrid start Taranaki's lineout has started to function reasonably effectively. It's helped that Marshall has started throwing the ball in straight, but I guess it's just taken the team to gel a bit.
> Speaking of Marshall, it's not often you see hookers playing 80 minute matches, especially one as fast paced as that. He is a great grafter, I'm not sure if he hits the most rucks of any Taranaki player, but he certainly gets to a fair few. You can see why Rennie and co took a shine to him early on. Hopefully he continues to work on his throwing (and he loses the ball in contact a bit too often for my liking) as I honestly believe that's the only thing keeping him out of the All Blacks (the same goes for Coltman, really, but at least Marshall is starting matches at the moment).
> Mitchell Crosswell made a good impact off the bench. He looks a lot bigger than what he's listed at.
> Gibson-Park has been good for Taranaki this year, him and Hall will make a good one-two punch for the Blues next season.
> Marty McKenzie has to be one of the finds of the year. Whilst there are a number of good explanations for why Taranaki have finally started to score tries, certainly it helps to have a first five with an attacking mindset. It would be a shame if he missed out on a Super contract next season.
> Are Charlie Ngatai and Seta Tamanivalu the best midfield in the competition? Tamanivalu was a part of the Chiefs WTS in 2014, hopefully they get him to sign on as a full time squad member for 2015. Even if Kahui returns there should be another spot in the backline for a centre/winger such as Tamanivalu.
> James Marshall is a bit of an unsung hero for Taranaki. I feel his game has really stepped up this year.
> Auckland... Well. They continue to run hot and cold, they're at risk of losing their playoff spot to Waikato (thought I can't really see this happening), which should be unthinkable given the talent they have at their disposal.

 

[Darwin]

I saw most of the match, and there was certainly plenty of action from both sides! In the end it was 4 tries to 1, but it was very close in the 2nd half right up until that last 10 minutes. Auckland were probably keep in the game by Anscombe's superb goal-kicking (and McKenzie's not so superb goal-kicking...).

There are certainly a few Taranaki backs that should be involved in Super Rugby next season. I thought McKenzie was a bit quieter than normal - and his goal-kicking remains a concern - but he certainly looks like a Super Rugby player to me. Ngatai was sharp (as usual). If he can ever sort out his injury issues I think he should be starting for the Chiefs every week. Tamanivula is certainly impressive with ball in hand, but I do feel he is still a bit raw. His handling lets him down at times, and his passing game is pretty poor too. He certainly is talented, but I wonder if he is still a year away from being ready for Super Rugby level? Naholo has been pretty good this year too - he certainly looks a better player than he was when he was originally picked for Super Rugby. Like Tamanivula he is a bit of a risk though...

Broadhurst is playing phenomenal rugby. He had a few games like this for the Canes a couple of seasons ago, but it never really came to anything. He perhaps still plays a bit loose at times, but he has some phenomenal ball skills for a lock. Blade Thomson too is pretty handy at this level - I'm still not sure whether he has the required physicality to be a regular starter at Super Rugby level. Angus Ta'avao has made a big impact for the Canes, and Mitch Graham has impressed on the LH side (I wonder whether the Highlanders will be looking at him?). Rhys Marshall is dynamic, but one concern I have with him is the number of tackles he misses (he missed 5 this match...).

Tom McCartney played the best game I think I have seen him play. I have never seen him so effective with ball in hand - at one stage he caught a kick and ran it back I assumed it was a back! Tu'ungafasi has a good work-rate but he isn't a great prop. Peter Saili is very good at this level.

Junior Polu is solid, but surely Auckland must have better options than him? His passing has never been great, and with the backline like Auckland have they need to give them as much quality ball as possible! I though Anscombe had a very good game - he's always dangerous when he attacks the line. Moala had a strong match out wide too - at this stage I feel he is a much better wing than he is a centre.

Auckland vs Waikato next Thursday could well decide the final playoff spot...

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Tamanivula is certainly impressive with ball in hand, but I do feel he is still a bit raw. His handling lets him down at times, and his passing game is pretty poor too. He certainly is talented, but I wonder if he is still a year away from being ready for Super Rugby level? Naholo has been pretty good this year too - he certainly looks a better player than he was when he was originally picked for Super Rugby. Like Tamanivula he is a bit of a risk though...

It's worth noting that Marshall was also the top Taranaki tackler with 12. I don't think he is a brilliant defender by any stretch, but I don't think it's really a weakness for him. Prior to last night he had only missed 13 tackles, which meant his percentage for the season was about 80%, which isn't anything to frown about. His metres gained for the season is astoundingly high, I'd imagine it's second only to Codie Taylor, who spends most of his time on the wing anyway

I certainly wouldn't have Tamanivalu in the Chiefs top backline, but he's good enough to get a few games at wing (with Gear, Marshall, Nanai-Williams and Lowe likely all preferred ahead of him) - he's probably a bit too risky to have at centre, and I'd have him behind SBW, Fruean, Ngatai, Horrell and Kahui, in that regard. Naholo wouldn't look out of place in the Crusaders backline (plus then they'd have Naholo and Nadolo), and the Hurricanes don't have too much depth in the back three to be honest. He'd be good for the Highlanders too but having both him and Osborne on the field is a bit risky. Of course with Webber, Heem and Lam all picking up contracts wing places are looking fairly well covered in most regions.

Visinia also had a good game last night for Auckland. Post 2015 I'd be surprised to not see him in an All Blacks jersey.

 

[Darwin]

It's worth noting that Marshall was also the top Taranaki tackler with 12. I don't think he is a brilliant defender by any stretch, but I don't think it's really a weakness for him. Prior to last night he had only missed 13 tackles, which meant his percentage for the season was about 80%, which isn't anything to frown about. His metres gained for the season is astoundingly high, I'd imagine it's second only to Codie Taylor, who spends most of his time on the wing anyway

After tonight's match Marshall's tackling percentage is now 78%. Acceptable...... for a back However for a hooker it is a very low tackling percentage. As far as I can see that is the lowest tackling percentage of any hooker in the competition that has played substantial minutes (Nathan Harris has only made 50% of his tackles, but hasn't played much rugby). Quentin MacDonald has the same tackling percentage (and I think defense is the weakest part of his game too), and I think the next lowest in terms of tackling percentage is Matu'u (85%), who can be a bit hit and miss on defense (though when he hits it is very impressive). Most of the other hookers in the competition have tackling percentages around 90% - e.g. Coltman (90%), Taylor (89%), Funnell (92%), Moulds (90%), Parsons (94%), Dixon (89%) etc. I do think this a bit of a concern for Marshall - his tackling percentage was even lower last season (73%).....

He's certainly a very good ball runner. As far as I can see Quentin MacDonald, Taylor, and Moulds are the only other hookers who have run more than 100m with ball in hand this season. I wonder whether any Super Rugby franchise will consider picking Moulds? He's an excellent ball runner (he's played quite a lot of 7's), and is a strong defender. However like many NZ hookers lineout throwing is a bit of an issue.

Assuming each NZ franchise is looking to sign 3 hookers there may be open spots at the Blues, Hurricanes, and Highlanders:

Blues: Mealamu, Parsons, +1
Chiefs: Harris, MacDonald, Marshall
Crusaders: Funnell, Taylor, Robinson
Highlanders: Coltman, Dixon, +1
Hurricanes: Coles, Matu'u, +1

I would assume Brayden Mitchell will get a contract somewhere (perhaps at the Highlanders again?). For me Moulds would be the next in line, followed by umm... Royal? Favia? Anderson-Heather? Taufalele? I wonder how Hika Elliot is going for Poverty Bay...

Visinia also had a good game last night for Auckland. Post 2015 I'd be surprised to not see him in an All Blacks jersey.

I'm a massive fan of Visinia, and agree he has a good shot at the AB's post 2015. I would like to use his team-mates a bit more, but apart from that there is a lot of like about him!

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Waikato v Manawatu now... Put $5 on Manawatu who are paying $2.60 to win. I'd imagine that Waikato will be a lot better than they were last week!

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Bloody awful refereeing in these last ten minutes...

Two major factors in the outcome of this game... McKenzie's goal kicking and poor refereeing when it counted.

You've gotta love Brad Weber.

 

[Regan]

Also had money on Manawatu so good result there.

Wellington.....this is just getting embarrassing. Counties scoring a point a minute.

 

[Darwin]

At times I despair at being an Otago supporter. Then I watch Wellington play, and I feel so much better

I've only seen the last 20 minutes, but Wellington have been truly woeful.

 

[Regan]

At times I despair at being an Otago supporter. Then I watch Wellington play, and I feel so much better

I've only seen the last 20 minutes, but Wellington have been truly woeful.

It's gone from always missing out at the last hurdle to not even getting over the first. I should be paid to support Wellington at this rate.