Waikato 2022

I thought I would start a thread about a possible NPC squad. I am not sure about the availability of some players, but as I have mentioned there will be some of the 2021 squad missing due to injury.

The best place to start is to look at last years squad. A large number of players were used due to the unique covid situation Waikato found themselves in. Some players were pulled in from other provinces, others brought in at short notice due to injuries in key positions (e.g., hooker, halfback, fullback).

So we had:

Hookers
Sekope Lopeti-Moli 

Steven Misa
Samisoni Taukei’aho 

Sam Cooper
Dominic Hardman
(Rhys Marshall)

Props
Ayden Johnstone
Ollie Norris
Rob Cobb
George Dyer 

Sefo Kautai

Locks
Hamilton Burr
Laghlan McWhannell 

James Thompson 

James Tucker
Tom Martin

Loose forwards
Samipeni Finau 

Luke Jacobson 

Mitch Jacobson 

Jack Lam
Liam Messam 

Simon Parker
(Rupeni Tamani)
(Te Rama Reuben)

Halfbacks
Cortez Ratima 

Xavier Roe
Rhys Dickinson
(Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi)

1st 5s
D’Angelo Leuila 

Fletcher Smith

Midfield backs
Anton Lienert-Brown 

Bailyn Sullivan 

Quinn Tupaea
Gideon Wrampling

Outside backs
Damian McKenzie 

Tepaea Cook-Savage 

Liam Coombes-Fabling 

Mosese Dawai 

Matty Lansdown 

Beaudein Waaka
(Ryan Tongia)

On the plus side, Luke Jacobson and DMac will be available, but 3 of the 4 midfield backs won't be.

By position.
Hooker - Lopeti-Moli 
doesn't appear to be playing club rugby and I don't think he played in the NPC at all. I never rated him that highly anyway. Misa is back in the province so I would think he and Cooper will be two of the hookers selected, but another will need to be chosen to cover for the absence of Taukei’aho. Perhaps one of the younger hookers running around in club rugby.

Props - Fairly settled. Kautai might not be back from the Brumbies so his obvious replacement is Solomone Tukuafu, a converted hooker, who was involved with the Chiefs WTG.

Locks - Again, depending on injury status, those 5 locks will be there again. Personally, I'd like to see a young lock like Zinzan Hansen promoted, as having watched him live (once) he looked to have the height and athleticism to be a player for the future. I thought he should have been in the Chiefs U20s but maybe was injured at the wrong time. There could be another older, more experienced lock considered.

Loose forwards - Will Parker be fit for once? Messam back for his 100th game would be great. Then he can retire. Lam could be involved depending on Samoan commitments. Kini Fonua (a lock/6) could be looked at. He was a good player at RBHS and for Chiefs age-group teams. Otherwise the same group of loosies with the latter two in the main squad.

Halfbacks - as for 2021.

1st 5s - I wouldn't bother re-signing Smith myself. Use DMac and Leuila. It might be too early to include Kemara. Smiler-Ah Kiong has been playing 1st 5 and fullback for TA Sports.

Midfield - problems. No ALB and Wrampling (injury) or Tupaea (ABs). Sullivan is a certainty in the 13 jersey. A veteran like Louis Rogers is still around, and both Leuila and Cook-Savage 
can play 2nd 5. Three of the Chiefs U20 midfielders are also options (Anderson, Reweti, Tupou). I'd favour Tupou who has similar qualities to Tupaea.

Outside backs - Time to move on from Lansdown, and Tongia was just a short-term fix. Waaka may be back from MLR. There is probably enough cover at fullback but not heaps of experience on the wing outside of the two starters from last year. Jordan Bunce may come back into the equation, or Nordstrom promoted from the U20s.

I am sure there will be a few surprises when the squad is eventually announced.

I've been to a Waikato game in Tokoroa before. A Ranfurly Shield defence against Horowhenua (as it was called then).

Good to see that Laghlan McWhannell 
is listed to be playing for Hautapu tomorrow. He's been out for a while.

@ARHS From what I could tell the starting team in the 1st half was:

Johnstone
Marshall (a surprise to see him back)
Kautai
Burr
Tucker
Messam
M Jacobson
L Jacobson
Ratima
Kemara
Dawai (playing in no.14 on the left wing)
Anderson
Centre -???
Right winger - ???
Smiler-Ah Kiong

In the 2nd half more U20 players came on including:
M Tupaea
Te Rama Reuben - no.8
Jack Harding - 1st 5
Nordstrom - he looked good
Possibly Tupou in the midfield

Cheers. Don't see Waikato club rugby any more so struggled to identify a few backs. Smiler was one of two in headgear as you say but unsure of the other one now.

Who was reserve 9 and the bearded reserve prop? Dickinson??

Did not expect to see Messam or Marshall but hoped to see DMac and Lansdown.

@Bovidae said in Waikato 2022:

Good to see that Laghlan McWhannell 
is listed to be playing for Hautapu tomorrow. He's been out for a while.

They did not keep him on long but did a lot of work running routines for the 2nd half subs. Didn't really look injured.

@ARHS said in Waikato 2022:

Cheers. Don't see Waikato club rugby any more so struggled to identify a few backs.

I've only been to 2 club games all year but luckily most of the younger players were playing in those games. I am more familiar with them from 1st XV and U20s.

Smiler was one of two in headgear as you say but unsure of the other one now.

I'm not sure who the other player with headgear was. Was he the other winger? I was on the opposite side of the field to the Waikato subs so didn't have a good view of them.

Who was reserve 9 and the bearded reserve prop? Dickinson??

Not Rhys Dickinson for the reserve halfback as he is starting for Tech tomorrow (against Roe). The bearded prop was a Reuben O'Neill look-a-like but couldn't be him. BTW, the Waikato scrum looked strong.

Did not expect to see Messam or Marshall but hoped to see DMac and Lansdown.

DMac to play next weekend in Te Kuiti? I was told that Lansdown has retired. No sighting of Simon Parker either.

@Bovidae hey thanks. I wandered up and down the other side. Yes I think wing on other side from Dawai had headgear similar to the fullback. Crowd was good all things considered.

Lansdown has retired - he posted about it on Instagram earlier this week.

Reuben O'Neill wasn't named in the Taranaki squad for the season but presume he's injured anyway?

Waikato's squad is due to be named next Wednesday evening.

@Mr-Fish said in Waikato 2022:

Reuben O'Neill wasn't named in the Taranaki squad for the season but presume he's injured anyway?

Yeah, I think he is out for the year after missing the entire SR season.

Waikato's squad is due to be named next Wednesday evening.

Good to know. Filipo and co will get to look at more players next Sat.

I see there are some photos up on the Mooloo FB page. These photos highlight the problem identifying some players as jersey numbers didn't always correspond to positions.

@Bovidae yep that got to me. But that looks like Adam Thomson at the back.

@ARHS said in Waikato 2022:

@Bovidae yep that got to me. But that looks like Adam Thomson at the back.

Thomson was involved with the coaching staff last year, as was Stephen Donald and Nick White.

WAIKATO RUGBY REBRAND | Today we are excited to launch our newly rebranded design of our famous strong arm logo.

There is a video on FB too.

The squad has been announced.

@Bovidae Go Ayden, Rhys, Mosese & little Liam!! The Defending champs of provincial rugby I have high expectations set for the mooloo men

Some of that squad won't be playing this season due to injury so I expect to see some others brought in. Taha Kemara is the only young back included. I doubt he'll be a starter though, unless the plan is for Leuila to play 2nd 5.

Remarkably similar to last year. Only surprise for me at first glance is Leuia (MP next year?) rather than Cody Nordstrom.