Exodus

Crockett, Messam and Sivivatu were considered the 3 unlucky players to miss out.

Them arriving back at the airport from SA while the rest of the squad went to Brisbane was not Henry's and NZR's finest hour.

@bovidae when the squad was named Donald was also considered unlucky by many.

@taniwharugby said in Exodus 2019:

@bovidae when the squad was named Donald was also considered unlucky by many.

I don't think that is true, his reputation was shot after 2010 and he only played 1 match for the ABs in 2011.

@taniwharugby Donald was told by Henry earlier in the year that he wouldn't be part of the 2011 RWC squad. He never played any of the earlier tests that season.

Hoeata and Hosea Gear were the other players who played tests in 2011 but were not selected for the squad.

@nepia IMO he was used as a scape goat for that match when there were other players that helped get to those final moments that lead to that loss.

@taniwharugby said in Exodus 2019:

@nepia IMO he was used as a scape goat for that match when there were other players that helped get to those final moments that lead to that loss.

That is possibly true (like blaming Cruden for Sydney, or more accurately crediting Slade for the turn around) but I doubt many fans thought he was unlucky when the squad was named.

@nepia I did, and my opinion is worth many fans opinions....add in most of Waikato, and thats plenty!

@taniwharugby said in Exodus 2019:

@nepia I did, and my opinion is worth many fans opinions....add in most of Waikato, and thats plenty!

And Couties maybe.

@nepia at any rate, the way it panned out made his legend bigger than if he had been included in the original squad.

@machpants Don't do it Sam!

Tell the fucking comic book salesman to go fuck himself!

@chester-draws Boyd's Northampton Saints are 10th in the Premiership table just above the relegation spot. It digs him out of a hole if Saints fans think Beauden Barrett is going to Franklin Gardens next year.

I suspect about 15 of the All Blacks squad are in conversations with clubs about overseas moves away from 2020. But the number who will actually go is closer to 10.

@bovidae said in Exodus 2019:

Crockett, Messam and Sivivatu were considered the 3 unlucky players to miss out.

Them arriving back at the airport from SA while the rest of the squad went to Brisbane was not Henry's and NZR's finest hour.

Timing wasn't NZR's or Henry's choice.

Confirmed. Milner-Skudder has signed a 3 year contract with Toulon.

@stargazer assume he must have seen he was very unlikely to be in the RWC plans given he is off after Super rugby.

@booboo said in Exodus 2019:

@bovidae said in Exodus 2019:

Crockett, Messam and Sivivatu were considered the 3 unlucky players to miss out.

Them arriving back at the airport from SA while the rest of the squad went to Brisbane was not Henry's and NZR's finest hour.

Timing wasn't NZR's or Henry's choice.

Yeah, they didn't exactly want to name the squad for a home RWC in a hastily organized hotel conference room in Brisbane FFS. I think Zac had booked the front bar solid that week.

@taniwharugby Yeah, he was already behind Smith/Jordie/Dmac at fullback and behind Smith/Naholo on the right wing. Possibly behind Bridge, too, now.

NMS, played a valuable part in earning his 2015 RWC cup winner's medal, integral member of the squad that won the Canes' one and only Super Rugby cup. Good on ya mate, time to go pick Mourad Boudjellal's pockets, you did good

@machpants Another bullshit Rugby Pass rumour mongering Article, Their souces are pulled out of their Arse

@sparky Great news, ABs average height up by 2.5cm!

@sparky Surely we now go with Ardie 7 Cane 6 for the RWC? None of the Highlanders WTG have made the cut at blindside..

@sparky Assuming Luatua saw the light as well, he was never serious (really?) about committing to NZR / Blues / coming back to NZ for RWC. At least he has made his choice now.

Chris Boyd is trying to sign Ryan Crotty and Matt Proctor for Northampton:

Not really Exodus, but Malakai Fekitoa is set to join his mate Lima Sopoaga at Wasps:

It's out of thread but I'd like to inform that Luke Braid is leaving Bordeaux and is coming back to NZ for personal reasons.

So Crotty maybe not to Northampton, Read not off to France...the pre-RWC rumour mill in full swing

Also

The All Blacks have traditionally lost senior players after Rugby World Cup campaigns, but the moves to Japan represent a new trend.

Not sure it is so much a new trend, just another option now.

So he wants to be a 'trailblazer' to ruin what got him there in the first place?

Been a few articles with Pitutau & Sopoaga all but promoting leaving NZ for the $$$...almost like they are trying to justify it to someone?

To some, the black jersey doesnt mean as much to others, good for them if it doesnt, but it gave them a big step up in salary.

@taniwharugby I'm really starting to dislike Piutau. He shattered his own RWC dream to take the money and that's his choice, no need to try and convince others to do the same and as you rightly say being an 'AB' has certainly helped him earn the big bucks in Europe.

@taniwharugby wow, he said you could earn more money overseas.
That'll be a new and interesting fact for all rugby players in NZ!

@Siam not just rugby I expect!

The articles wrong anyway. It says

Not selected for RWC => headed overseas

When in fact

Said heading overseas => not selected for RWC

Yeah, nah.

So if Piatau pledges his undying loyalty to NZ Rugby in 2015 and reups he gets picked for the World Cup squad? Ask Jane and Dagg who did just that, were in the frame and missed out.

The selectors were so locked in on Naholo that they picked him with a broken leg with perfectly good, experienced options available. I don't think there is anyway we can say Piatau would have been picked when they had such a hard on for Waisake that year.

Even if picked there is no guarantee they would have seen him as a winger which would mean his "world cup dream" would have been keeping Malakai Fekitoa and Colin Slade company in the stands and having a hit out against Namibia.

Piutau definitely makes the World Cup squad if he had signed on past the RWC. The way they justified Naholo was basically saying "if we are choosing between two players who are close and one is staying and one is going then we select the one who is staying". If Piutau was staying they would have picked him - NZRU made him a multi year offer and iirc he made every AB squad from his debut in 2013 up until the RWC squad in 2015. He also provided more versatility than Naholo with the ability to cover fullback - not to mention he'd played 17 tests vs what 1 test Naholo had prior to RWC 2015?

I'm intrigued as to how he's making his name. I never hear anything about him. Interesting how he's a trailblazer...doing pretty much exactly what Evans did - except Evans was much more successful and popular.

@Bones Well I think he's got one of the highest contracts in the entire league, so he's certainly doing something right!

I think the reason behind this entire article is in the entire article. Quote - "He's well on his way to that and he's determined not to waste his fortune. "We have agents and financial planners and good people around us," Piutau, now 27, said."

He's more or less a business now, and this interview is clearly a setup to help promote the business, it contains all the key points required. He's either very shrewd, or one of his many good people around him is sorting it out. And lets not forgot that the English rugby public loves anything which can show NZ rugby in a poor light.