Blues 2021 Squad Prediction
With most of the squad known or rumoured now, it's time to take a stab at a prediction, with an allowance for some players possibly being signed early on due to COVID uncertainty (e.g. Choat missing out):
Props Tu'inukuafe Hodgman N Mayhew O Tu'ungafasi Laulala Renata
Hookers Parsons Eklund Niuia (may be replaced by Tolai until recovered from injury)
Locks Tuipulotu Pierce Goodhue Cowley-Tuioti Darry
Loose forwards Gibson Hunt Papalii Robinson Sotutu A Ioane Riedlinger-Kapa
Halfbacks Nock Christie Ruru
1st Five Eighths Black Perofeta Plummer Heighton
Midfield Faiane T Tele'a R Ioane TBC
Outside Backs Clarke (may be absent for Olympics Sevens) M Telea Narawa AJ Lam Raumaitavuki-Kneepkens Sullivan
Tei Walden may be available for a midfield pick, provided he has recovered from his achilles tendon (?) injury. AJ Lam can cover centre, and possibly Clarke too. Meihana Grindlay might be a midfield bolter? NZ Schools 2019, NZ U20 training squad 2020. Would like to see Choat in the loose forwards if possible.
That's 38 players in total, looks like we had more last year due to cover for Clarke and Barrett, which included Marchant. Also had 8 loose forwards rather than 7, so maybe room for Choat yet.
Out: Lindenmuth Mafileo Carroll Lamborn Tucker Barrett Marchent Hyland Duffie Page
In: N Mayhew Laulala Darry Hunt TBC (midfield) AJ Lam Raumaitavuki-Kneepkens Sullivan
Provincial breakdown: Auckland - 8 forwards, 8 backs, 16 total North Harbour - 6 forwards, 1 back, 7 total Northland - 2 forwards, 1 back, 3 total Counties - 2 BOP - 3 Tasman - 3 Canterbury - 1 Taranaki - 2
Match XXIII
Big decision over fullback, maybe right wing, but that's about it. Expect plenty of rotation in the forwards
1 Hodgman 2 Eklund 3 Laulala 4 Tuipulotu 5 Pierce 6 A Ioane 7 Papalii 8 Sotutu
9 Nock (MacDonald may favour Christie though) 10 Black 11 Clarke 12 Faiane 13 R Ioane 14 M Telea 15 Sullivan (tight contest with Perofeta)
16 Parsons 17 Tu'inukuafe 18 Tu'ungafasi 19 Cowley-Tuioti/Goodhue 20 Robinson/Gibson/Hunt 21 Christie 22 Plummer 23 T Tele'a
With A Ioane showing he can attack a lineout at test level, there should be a lot of good options on either side of the lineout throw. Tuipulotu is good at attacking opposition throws at test level too, with Sotutu demonstrating that ability in SRA this year. Pierce was a standout forward in the NPC, and attacked the opposition lineout well too.
Looking at that Blues squad, our forwards will be hard to beat. Should be able to dominate set piece and the ruck against many teams. The question is how well will the backs be able to use that ball? Black should be able to put the ball into the corners, and force full lineouts, but will we take the most of our chances, reduce errors, and make the right decisions in big games?
Interestingly/sadly, there's only three players in that 23 from the Auckland team that played in the NPC final, and only one in the starting 15.
@Nepia said in Blues 2021:
@Stargazer Rangi is clearly on a box or step.
If he is, he has the shortest and most comical shins I have ever seen.
Time to take a stab at the squad, based on some players possibly being signed early on (e.g. Choat missing out):
Props
Tu'inukuafe
Hodgman
N Mayhew
O Tu'ungafasi
Laulala
Renata
Hookers
Parsons
Eklund
Niuia (may be replaced by Tolai until recovered from injury)
Locks
Tuipulotu
Pierce
Goodhue
Cowley-Tuioti
Darry
Loose forwards
Gibson
Hunt
Papalii
Robinson
Sotutu
A Ioane
Riedlinger-Kapa
Halfbacks
Nock
Christie
Ruru
1st Five Eighths
Black
Perofeta
Plummer
Heighton
Midfield
Faiane
T Tele'a
R Ioane
TBC
Outside Backs
Clarke (may be absent for Olympics Sevens)
M Telea
Narawa
AJ Lam
Raumaitavuki-Kneepkens
Sullivan
Tei Walden may be available for a midfield pick, provided he has recovered from his achilles tendon (?) injury. AJ Lam can cover centre, and possibly Clarke too. Would prefer to see Choat in the loose forwards.
38 players, looks like we had more last year due to cover for Clarke and Barrett, which included Marchant. Also had 8 loose forwards rather than 7, so maybe room for Choat yet.
Out:
Lindenmuth
Mafileo
Carroll
Lamborn
Tucker
Barrett
Marchent
Hyland
Duffie
Page
In:
N Mayhew
Laulala
Darry
Hunt
TBC (midfield)
AJ Lam
Raumaitavuki-Kneepkens
Sullivan
Auckland - 8 forwards, 8 backs, 16 total
North Harbour - 6 forwards, 1 back, 7 total
Northland - 2 forwards, 1 back, 3 total
Counties - 2
BOP - 3
Tasman - 3
Canterbury - 1
Taranaki - 2
Match XXIII
Big decision over fullback, maybe right wing, but that's about it. Expect plenty of rotation in the forwards
1 Hodgman
2 Eklund
3 Laulala
4 Tuipulotu
5 Pierce
6 A Ioane
7 Papalii
8 Sotutu
9 Nock (MacDonald may favour Christie though)
10 Black
11 Clarke
12 Faiane
13 R Ioane
14 M Telea
15 Sullivan (tight contest with Perofeta)
16 Parsons
17 Tu'inukuafe
18 Tu'ungafasi
19 Cowley-Tuioti/Goodhue
20 Robinson/Gibson/Hunt
21 Christie
22 Plummer
23 T Tele'a
With A Ioane showing he can attack a lineout at test level, there should be a lot of good options on either side of the lineout throw.
Interestingly/sadly, there's only three players in that 23 from the Auckland team that played in the NPC final, and only one in the starting 15.
MacDonald will unveil a largely settled squad for 2021 this week, though they do have one major hole to fill, with star All Blacks playmaker Beauden Barrett absent on his Japanese sabbatical. Young Auckland fullback Zarn Sullivan is expected to fill the void at fullback, with some help from utility back Stephen Perofeta.
Looking at that Blues squad, our forwards will be hard to beat. Should be able to dominate set piece and the ruck against many teams. The question is how well will the backs be able to use that ball? Black should be able to put the ball into the corners, and force full lineouts, but will we take the most of our chances, reduce errors, and make the right decisions in big games?
@Tim looking at the depth of the bench is impressive!
As you say, forwards are impressive, backs will be heavily reliant on the firepower of Rieko & Clarke, and after that things get a bit thinner.
@taniwharugby said in Blues 2021:
@Tim looking at the depth of the bench is impressive!
As you say, forwards are impressive, backs will be heavily reliant on the firepower of Rieko & Clarke, and after that things get a bit thinner.
really?
Telea, TJ Faiane - no shame in there. Perofeta was coming into his own at 15 ... they're not world beaters, but solid enough
@nzzp i just meant more reliant, didn't say they were shit or anything, plus an injury and it does get thin.
@KiwiMurph Maybe a bit small?
Antonio Mikaele-Tu'u might be on the fringe too?
@Tim said in Blues 2021:
Meihana Grindlay might be a midfield bolter?
NZ Schools 2019, NZ U20 training squad 2020.
He needs to prove himself at NPC level first. Grindlay can be a devastating runner but doesn't have much subtlety to his game.
@Nogusta said in Blues 2021:
@Tim Not 100% sure but I heard a whisper that Ruru has been released.
surely not! If so, well done on the good oil.
@Nogusta Interesting. Wonder if his replacement would be Funaki or someone else?
@Tim said in Blues 2021:
@Nogusta Interesting. Wonder if his replacement would be Funaki or someone else?
Kid looks good.
@taniwharugby said in Blues 2021:
wow, I thought he has been bloody good for Auckland this year too, probably his best season.
I agree, based on what I have seen. His performance against Northland was top notch (sorry @taniwharugby )
@KiwiMurph yeah there's that, maybe it's knowing there is pressure from Nock & Christie finally given him the arse kick he needed, OR, maybe he has requested a release knowing he may not get much time behind them?
@taniwharugby said in Blues 2021:
wow, I thought he has been bloody good for Auckland this year too, probably his best season.
Agreed.
This was a 'whisper' I heard prior to the start of M10.
@Tim I think AJ Lam or Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens could possibly take that right wing spot off Mark Telea. Both had better M10 seasons than Telea.
@KiwiMurph The coaches basically gave up on him last season.
Sadly, his service is just not quick enough for Super Rugby.
@Crazy-Horse He wasn't great in his last two games coming off injury, but before the injury, he was maybe the form winger in the M10.
@Crazy-Horse said in Blues 2021:
I have yet to see AJ Lam do anything to make him stand out, good or bad. Have I missed something?
Hah that's weird to see when I've missed the last couple of games and he was absolutely carving up prior to that. Wasn't he high up in both tries scored and assists?