Dagg Signs with Crusaders

[ranger]

I hear ya Ranger, but the first choice backline doesn't play week in week out, and I thought maybe his versatility might get him some game time ... is Slade in the frame for the end of year All Blacks tour?

Thats the thing, he should have been in the frame as the 2nd choice first five for the last couple of years but hes always on the bench. If you want to be an All Black you have to get some game time under your belt. It was no longer in his interests to be outside of the first choice backline hoping for an injury somewhere so he can have a run. Especially when you have the Highlanders screaming out for decent backs.

 

[Muzzy]

no wonder the highlanders suck, every time they get a good player the crusaders sign them the next year

they're like microsoft, eliminate the competition by buying them

 

[Darwin]

Whatever happened to Karne Hesketh? I watched Super Rugby, or may have possibly been NPC match involving the Highlanders/Otago a couple of years ago and he looked an absolute beast. Smashed people up everywhere and scored a cracking hattrick. Was that just a freak one-off?

As Ranger said, his lack of top end pace prevented him from going any further than NPC level. Randomly he was part of the New Zealand bobsleigh team at one stage, but had to pull out due to his rugby commitments!

Yeah about Bleyendaal, i didnt mean that he would ever get on the field.. maybe he could sit on the bench against the Lions. I was thinking that the Highlanders should get him in the environment with an eye to snagging him for the next 5 years, the Highlanders really need to take a leaf out of Canterburys book and start grabbing players young. I totally forgot about Hobbs but yeah he would be perfect for the number 21 jersey. I'm not sure about Renata though, hes very talented but hes a bit too flakey for the Highlanders, he seems like a "something from nothing or nothing from something" type player. The Highlanders need the focus of their game to be on having one of the best packs and set pieces in the competition, with backs that don't make mistakes and can finish with the opportunities that get set up for them (as opposed to the Hurricanes who try and gain parity in the forwards and win the game with their backs) But then again if Renata matures during the ITM he could be a good option.

I agree on Winston Stanley, hes the perfect candidate really, the Highlanders should try and sign him up for the next few years if they know whats good for them. I wouldnt be too confident about starting Tokula though, maybe as a utility reserve covering the the midfield and wing spots would be more ideal.

Sweeney is a must have for me, every game so far in the ITM he has shown that hes a class above the players hes around. I really rate Taylor aswell, im not sure what nick sees when he says hes overrated! Hes severely underrated in my mind, with his touch background, good angles and kicking ability he should try moving infield or at least playing more fullback, he struggles for opportunities on the wing. One guy who i think deserves a shot is Ryan Shortland, he runs hard and makes good yardage every outing.
I was impressed with Pakanis agility and ability to beat a man last year aswell, i just dont think he fits the Highlanders tactics though. They already made the mistake of bringing an excitement machine type player in once in Vainikolo, who scored some great tries two years ago, and spent the following years botching them. While on the topic, David Smith will be a free agent and the Highlanders should avoid him like the plague.

And yeah the Highlanders forwards are dominant, they were last year too but the coaching staff didn't take advantage of it. Hopefully Culhanes influence will result in a more Southland-esque gameplan. As for the number 8 situation, I suggested Souness because he one of the most underrated guys around, pure untapped potential. He is inhumanely fit, he hits more rucks in one game than Setefano could hope to get to in 5, you can tell from his sevens game that he is a workhorse, but he work wonders ball in hand, he even played half his 1st XV rugby at centre. Joe Wheeler is definitely another guy they should grab.

A left field option i think the Highlanders should pursue is the Barrett brothers. Their dad played lock for Taranaki and the Hurricanes so they have the genes to grow to 2 metres tall.
Kane Barrett made his schools 1st XV in 4th form, he made the Hurricanes 16s in the same year. He made NZ schools in 6th form and captained them in 7th form, Now hes in the Taranaki team as a 20 year old. Making teams young is impressive, but doing it as a tightforward is amazing. He now covers the 5/6 position in the same style of play as Brad Thorn.
Beuden Barrett is a 1st/2nd 5 that plays sortof like a mix between Andrew Mehrtens and Conrad Smith. He made the NZ sevens team as an 18 year old and is in the Taranaki side at 19.
The best part about this duo is that they have two more brothers at highschool, these guys are the next Whitelocks. If the Highlanders offer these guys contracts now they could be the cornerstone of the franchise for the next 10 years.

I do agree that targetting young players (e.g. Blyendaal and the Barrett's) would be the way to go.

As wings from the Highlanders region go, I agree that Shortland is probably the most impressive, and he also has the ability to cover centre. However I thought he was the most impressive wing from the region last year as well, but missed out - hopefully another years experience playing rugby union will help his chances. I had high hopes for James Paterson, who looked very impressive for Canterbury a few years ago, but was not overly impressive for the Highlanders this year. I'm hoping he will hit form for Southland in the NPC, as he could be useful at super 14 level if we fail to lure someone like Taylor or Sweeney.

The thing that impressed me about Pakalani (apart from his obvious elusive running) was his skills level (catching, passing, high ball work), his solid defense, as well as his high overall work. Admittedly this was only based on the few games I've seen of him, but I think he could develop onto quite a complete player, rather than just an attacking force. I agree that the Highlanders should avoid David Smith. I'm hoping we have learnt from our experience with Vainakolo, who is wasted as we had limited attacking ball, and he was a huge liability on defense.

I heard the other day the Jarrad Hoeata was off contract - he may be a really good option for the Highlanders, especially if we lose Thomson to the Crusaders (which seems quite likely). Apparently Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph has been talking to Hoeata about coming to the Highlanders, as Joseph coached Hoeata in the NZ Maori team this year.