NH Club Rugby

Stormers beating Munster without 6 Springboks.

@sparky said in NH Club Rugby:

@Duluth From what I've seen he fits very much in the "club legend" model. A very good player but not world class.

He's had the benefit of playing for France's and probably Europe's best team in recent years.

When fit, he's been Toulouse's top choice 12 for about about seven years. He looked very good during Covid times. A mid-fielder in the Garry Ringrose model. A very good organiser who others like Dupont and Ntamack could play around. He's won five French Championships and two European Championship with Toulouse.

That's said I can't remember him shining on a big occasion. He went off early in the 2024 European Cup Final and he's had a lot of injuries in the last 18 months.

He's a solid signing for the Blues, especially as they will miss Reiko's calmness in midfield next year. But I don't expect him to play the house down.

I agree. He rarely sets the world on fire but he is a good distributor, defends well and has a good vision of the game. At 31, after multiple injuries, he is on the downside IMO. He could be as valuable as Bryce Heems was a few years ago.

@cgrant said in NH Club Rugby:

@sparky said in NH Club Rugby:

@Duluth From what I've seen he fits very much in the "club legend" model. A very good player but not world class.

He's had the benefit of playing for France's and probably Europe's best team in recent years.

When fit, he's been Toulouse's top choice 12 for about about seven years. He looked very good during Covid times. A mid-fielder in the Garry Ringrose model. A very good organiser who others like Dupont and Ntamack could play around. He's won five French Championships and two European Championship with Toulouse.

That's said I can't remember him shining on a big occasion. He went off early in the 2024 European Cup Final and he's had a lot of injuries in the last 18 months.

He's a solid signing for the Blues, especially as they will miss Reiko's calmness in midfield next year. But I don't expect him to play the house down.

I agree. He rarely sets the world on fire but he is a good distributor, defends well and has a good vision of the game. At 31, after multiple injuries, he is on the downside IMO. He could be as valuable as Bryce Heems was a few years ago.

downslide (not downside).

What did Antoine Hastoy get his red card for in the opening minute? That must be the quickest ever.

Champions League starting this weekend

Round 1

Fri 5 Dec Sale Sharks v Glasgow Warriors (8pm)
Fri 5 Dec Bayonne v Stormers (8pm)

Sat 6 Dec Saracens v Clermont Auvergne (1pm)
Sat 6 Dec Bulls v Bordeaux-Bègles (3.15pm)
Sat 6 Dec La Rochelle v Leicester Tigers (5.30pm)
Sat 6 Dec Leinster v Harlequins (5.30pm)
Sat 6 Dec Scarlets v Bristol Bears (8pm)
Sat 6 Dec Bath v Munster (8pm)

Sun 7 Dec Pau v Northampton Saints (1pm)
Sun 7 Dec Toulouse v Sharks (3.15pm)
Sun 7 Dec Gloucester v Castres (3.15pm)
Sun 7 Dec Edinburgh v Toulon (5.30pm)

@MiketheSnow Thanks. Unfortunately that video is restricted but I did find another.

Investec Champions Cup

European Challenge Cup

Stormers win was a copy of the Springbok NH tests. Brok Harris school of fatties paying dividends. Doesn't matter who play, they demolish the opponents in the scrums. Players who didn't play last night
Warrick Gelant, Damian Willemse, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Seabelo Senatla, Ruhan Nel, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Jurie Matthee, Cobus Reinach, Stefan Ungerer, Oli Kebble, Vernon Matongo, Frans Malherbe, Zach Porthen, Ruben van Heerden, Deon Fourie, Louw Nel, Keke Morabe

@OomPB
Bayonne fielded a B-C team too.
For those who haven't watched the Saracens vs Clermont game, Harry Plummer had a mare. From what I have seen, he could not have been the answer for the All Blacks at first five (meh kicking, weak tackling, kick directly into touch from a restart, unseen with ball in hand, standing still as a first receiver ...). But maybe it was an off-day for him.

Reiko Ioane has made his debut for Leinster this evening off the bench in their match against Harlequins.

Bulls Springboks looked weak against the champions.

The Stormers vs LaR match next week in PE will be a measurement for the Stormers. Hope their Boks bring their step.

Good win for Leinster away to Leicester tonight. Reiko Ioane played Centre for Leinster.

@sparky how did Reiko go .?

@Steven-Harris said in NH Club Rugby:

@sparky how did Reiko go .?

Saw this in Irish Independent:

Making his first start after last weekend’s soft launch against a second-string Harlequins side at home, Rieko Ioane got a proper introduction to European rugby, and the All Black rolled up his sleeves and got stuck into the trenches, where James Ryan was immense. It was that kind of night.

@sparky said in NH Club Rugby:

Good win for Leinster away to Leicester tonight.

A game of two halves (TM).

@Steven-Harris Reiko did his shift for Leinster. Nothing massively flash, but made all his tackles and put in some carries in a forward-dominated game on a cold December night in Leicester.

Reiko is a myth.

Wow! What a result for Glasgow!

They came from 0-21 down to stun the mighty Toulouse. A comeback for the ages.

@sparky Great to hear, I’m hoping his time up North gives him the opportunity to resurrect his All Black career next season , I knows he’s not everyone’s cup of tea but for me he’s too good athlete to be overlooked especially given lack of midfield stocks in NZ Rugby

@Steven-Harris said in NH Club Rugby:

@sparky Great to hear, I’m hoping his time up North gives him the opportunity to resurrect his All Black career next season , I knows he’s not everyone’s cup of tea but for me he’s too good athlete to the overlooked especially given lack of midfield stocks in NZ Rugby

I think with Barrett, Tupaea, LF and Proctor there, Ennor more than likely back in the mix and Higgins being mentioned Ioane will struggle quite a bit to get back in at his age. He's already on the outer and not getting any younger.

@MN5

Age? He's 28. The players you listed are 28, 26, 26, 26 & 28

28 is young by AB midfield standards

@Duluth said in NH Club Rugby:

@MN5

Age? He's 28. The players you listed are 28, 26, 26, 26 & 28

28 is young by AB midfield standards

I was thinking along the lines of outside backs who traditionally are done and dusted before the age of 28.

Even so, it will be tough for him to get back in under the current regime.

Tom Jordan is excellent at 1st Five for Bristol. How could his talent be ignored by NZ provincial teams ?

@cgrant he went to an 'unfashionable school'? and seems he left fairly early on in his career.

Jordan left for Scotland in his early 20s. When he played for Hamilton Old Boys, Sevu Reece was a club teammate, which highlights how long ago that was.

I'm not sure if he made any Auckland or Blues age-group rep teams. BTW, Cam Christie also went to Orewa College, so that shouldn't have been a disadvantage if he was good enough.

@Bovidae said in NH Club Rugby:

Jordan left for Scotland in his early 20s. When he played for Hamilton Old Boys, Sevu Reece was a club teammate, which highlights how long ago that was.

I'm not sure if he made any Auckland or Blues age-group rep teams. BTW, Cam Christie also went to Orewa College, so that shouldn't have been a disadvantage if he was good enough.

Yeah, sometimes, especially when guys leave young, they're just overlooked for not being good enough at the time. A year later he might have got his break.

@Nepia or it is just a different style or coach that gets the best out of them.

Bulls lose by about 50 to Northampton Saints. Jeeze. Ackerman making Jake White look good. Sucks.

The Stormers are still unbeaten heading into the Saffer derbies. Dobson investing in local talent start paying dividends. And it look good if you look in what's waiting to come through the pipeline.

.

Imagine my rage if we had two Jordans in the ABs.

@Bones the Stormers have SMZ, Willemse and Gelant. Had Libbok aswell. To many cooks spoiled whatever. SMZ is good enough.

@OomPB said in NH Club Rugby:

@Bones the Stormers have SMZ, Willemse and Gelant. Had Libbok aswell. To many cooks spoiled whatever. SMZ is good enough.

Yeah.

French annual salaries in the Top 14 by position :

LHP : 245 000 euros
Hooker : 247 000 euros
THP : 260 000 euros
Lock 4 : 290 000 euros
Lock 5 : 302 000 euros
LF : 242 000 euros
Nr. 8 : 296 000 euros
Halfback : 261 000 euros
1st Five : 343 000 euros
Centres : 274 000 euros
Wings : 223 000 euros
Fullback : 251 000 euros

@cgrant said in NH Club Rugby:

French annual salaries in the Top 14 by position :

LHP : 245 000 euros
Hooker : 247 000 euros
THP : 260 000 euros
Lock 4 : 290 000 euros
Lock 5 : 302 000 euros
LF : 242 000 euros
Nr. 8 : 296 000 euros
Halfback : 261 000 euros
1st Five : 343 000 euros
Centres : 274 000 euros
Wings : 223 000 euros
Fullback : 251 000 euros

Is that average? Also, I thought TP were supposed to be the best paid in the norf? Also, weird that the locks have a big difference, and why are LF paid relatively so low?

This is the average salary, of course. I do not have the explanations for these differences. I also thought - like you did - that THP was one of the top salaries.

@cgrant said in NH Club Rugby:

This is the average salary, of course. I do not have the explanations for these differences. I also thought - like you did - that THP was one of the top salaries.

This is where averages probably lose out to medians, quartiles, and ranges. If all teams are carrying a bunch of props, but two or three are on much higher wages and the others on the lowest, the average will look similar but the reality could be much different. The situation for locks could also be similarly skewed by fewer of them and a couple on very big contracts.

Reiko Ioane got a meat pie last night for Leinster in their win against Ulster.

Dragons climbed off the bottom of the United Rugby Championship (URC) with a remarkable 48-28 victory against Connacht that ended a 15-month league winless streak.

Stormers sign de Villiers, SMZ until 2029