Hawkes Bay

1 Hadlee Hay-Horton, 2 Jacob Devery, 3 Pouri Rakete-Stones, 4 Geoff Cridge, 5 Tom Parsons, 6 Miracle Faiilagi, 7 Cooper Flanders, 8 Devan Flanders, 9 Folau Fakatava, 10 Harry Godfrey, 11 Neria Fomai, 12 Anaru Paenga-Morgan, 13 Nick Grigg, 14 Jonah Lowe, 15 Zarn Sullivan
Reserves: 16 Kianu Kereru-Symes, 17 Nik Patumaka, 18 Lolani Faleiva, 19 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 20 Frank Lochore, 21 Ere Enari, 22 Lukas Ripley, 23 Andrew Tauatevalu

Wellington

1 Kenshi Yamamoto, 2 James O'Reilly, 3 PJ Sheck, 4 Hugo Plummer, 5 Akira Ioeremia, 6 Caleb Delany, 7 Dominic Ropeti, 8 Matolu Petatia, 9 Nui Muriwai, 10 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 11 Jay Clarke, 12 Callum Harkin, 13 Matt Proctor (C), 14 Losi Filipo, 15 Stanley Solomon
Reserves: 16 Penieli Poasa, 17 Senio Sanele, 18 Siale Lauaki, 19 Cody Lokotui, 20 Sione Halalilo, 21 Esi Komaisavai, 22 Kapu Broughton-Winterburn, 23 Tom Maiava

Harkin at 12, wouldnt have picked that. Pretty sure i read that he was a 9 all through age grade footy, before converting to 10 for prem club rugby. Now hes been chucked at full back for super and midfield for NPC.
Surprised they didnt bring Clarke into Centres instead, pushing solomon to wing & harkin to full back, but to be fair solomon is playing well there

Tom Parson’s 100th game for HB.

@DurryMexted said in Hawkes Bay v Wellington:

Harkin at 12, wouldnt have picked that. Pretty sure i read that he was a 9 all through age grade footy, before converting to 10 for prem club rugby. Now hes been chucked at full back for super and midfield for NPC.
Surprised they didnt bring Clarke into Centres instead, pushing solomon to wing & harkin to full back, but to be fair solomon is playing well there

I’ve never heard of the reserve 19 and 22 but haven’t been watching Club Rugby closely at all recently. I can’t see us winning this game.

@Canes4life Just had a quick look around. Looks like Cody Lokotui was a Scots product who has been in Canterbury
Kapu Broughton winterburn looks like a former Horowhenua kapiti player

@DurryMexted Pretty sure Cody Lokotui is the son of Lua Lokotui who was in the 'Ikale Taki squad that famous night when the 'Ikale Tahi took France down at Westpac Stadium in the 2011 World Cup! If not then he is certainly a very close relation judging by the look of him. Furthermore Lua earns himself big ticks as he played two seasons for the Magpies and is now currently coaching at the Axemen with Fa'atonu Fili and Esava Tiko. I will overlook the spell Lua had at MSP!

Cody goes good in Club rugby for a team that are no world beaters but can pull out real good efforts to run some of the better teams close but also have poor days when the wheels fall off completely. Needless to say but he will be the one of only two Lions players that I won't be positively discouraging at McLean Park on Saturday - Stan Soloman (son of Axemen Life Member Erin Rush) being the other.

Starting soon

Nice side step Solomon

31-7 to HB after 60mins

Wellington have had plenty of attacking ball but can't finish

Sullivan's form has fallen away a lot in the past 2 years

Parsons was very lucky not to go off early in the second half for a kick to the head of Sheck. Would have been a red card if someone saw it.

In saying that, Welly were never going to win that game, too much quality missing. Hawkes Bay much stronger on paper.

Yuck man, why get religious on the official FB page?

@Duluth said in Hawkes Bay v Wellington:

Sullivan's form has fallen away a lot in the past 2 years

Haven't seen this game, but yeah, I have noticed that too. I had high hopes for him, but since he started getting hit with injuries he has regressed somewhat.

Nice to see this Wellington team back to their inconsistent selves of a few years ago definitely missing the likes of Dups and Lakai to this team. Just thankful there’s no promotion/relegation anymore.

@mikey07 said in Hawkes Bay v Wellington:

Nice to see this Wellington team back to their inconsistent selves of a few years ago definitely missing the likes of Dups and Lakai to this team. Just thankful there’s no promotion/relegation anymore.

Can’t be too hard on them, just look at the players we’ve lost from last year. I guess recent NPC success has been rewarded with AB calls ups for many of them…. Preston, Kirifi, Lakai, Love, Proctor have all been called in to the ABs

When you also factor in injuries to Numia, Aumua, Shields, Higgins and now Proctor, it’s really just one of those years.

Guys like Umaga-Jensen and Patafilo also left so we weren’t exactly going to set the house on fire this year.

If we had all those players fit and available above we would be near the top / if not top of the table. That’s not even including Ardie.

@Duluth said in Hawkes Bay v Wellington:

Sullivan's form has fallen away a lot in the past 2 years

Yeah, injuries, mixed with not knowing where his best position is, it looks like he'll just slowly move to Japan eventually.

A talent that has just gotten stuck in the mud.