All Blacks post-2019

[morepork]

Yeah yeah....I can't read etc etc.

[J Dory]

Luke Whitelock off to Pau

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/a ... d=12212820

[cashead]

It's a real shame Whitelock's leaving. He probably would have had the starting 8 jersey next year.

Matt Proctor signing with Northampton is unfortunate as well, but he's on the wrong side of 25, and with impending fatherhood, I guess he decided to get going while the going was still good (his partner was a student of mine, and one of my star pupils back in the day. She was a tough lady in high school, but also smart as a whip. I was one of the few teachers she really took to. She didn't have the easiest upbringing, with her dad getting murdered when she was, like, 10 or 11).

[zer0]

Whitelock isn't a #8 though. He's a blindside who wears the wrong jersey. Inverse applies to Frizell. I've no idea why the Highlanders are playing them the wrong way round, but if they want to keep running a popgun off the back of the scrum, then I'm certainly not going to complain.

[morepork]

Is A. Ioane ever going to get his ship together and challenge for the AB No.8 jersey?

[J Dory]

He'll be going head to head with Whitelock this weekend.

[Stom]

Rumours Quins could be signing a surprise kiwi, any ideas?

[zer0]

Is A. Ioane ever going to get his ship together and challenge for the AB No.8 jersey?

Get it together how? He was already the dominant offensive forward last SR season, and has continued that on this season...

Rumours Quins could be signing a surprise kiwi, any ideas?

Haven't seen a thing about that down here. Could it be someone on a sabbatical deal that was announced last year? Though that seems like something that'd have popped up as a rumour, at least. So yeah. No idea.

[morepork]

OK. Will he ever get "selected" Mr. Chippy.

[Stom]

Is A. Ioane ever going to get his ship together and challenge for the AB No.8 jersey?

Get it together how? He was already the dominant offensive forward last SR season, and has continued that on this season...

Rumours Quins could be signing a surprise kiwi, any ideas?

Haven't seen a thing about that down here. Could it be someone on a sabbatical deal that was announced last year? Though that seems like something that'd have popped up as a rumour, at least. So yeah. No idea.

Yeah, it might be wishful thinking gone into overdrive... Considering the linkup and all.

[morepork]

You could have a crocked Dan Carter.

[zer0]

Whitelock isn't a #8 though. He's a blindside who wears the wrong jersey. Inverse applies to Frizell. I've no idea why the Highlanders are playing them the wrong way round, but if they want to keep running a popgun off the back of the scrum, then I'm certainly not going to complain.

Exhibit A. Five minutes in and Whitelock is turned over off the base of the scrum just beyond his own line.

[Lizard]

As of 8 Jan 2019 - I'm updating this as more info comes to hand...

Confirmed departures:
Owen Franks - Northampton
Steve Hansen
Nehe Milner-Skudder - Toulon
Waisake Naholo - London Irish
Matt Proctor - Northampton
Kieran Read - Toyota Verblitz
Ben Smith - Pau
Liam Squire - NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes
Jordan Taufua - Leicester

Rumoured to be leaving:
Dane Coles (Japan)
Ryan Crotty (Kubota Spears)
Aaron Smith (Japan)
Sonny Bill Williams (to Roosters NRL)

Off-contract but no indication yet:
Beauden Barrett
Jordie Barrett
Liam Coltman
Elliot Dixon
Shannon Frizell
Jack Goodhue
Kane Hames
Nathan Harris
David Havili
Jackson Hemopo
Richie Mo'unga
Tim Perry
Brodie Retallick
Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi
Matt Todd
Luke Whitelock

Re-signed with NZRU beyond RWC2019:
To 2020
Scott Barrett
Vaea Fifita
Nepo Laulala
Anton Lienert-Brown
Patrick Tuipulotu

To 2021
Sam Cane
Akira Ioane
Ngani Laumape
Damien MacKenzie
TJ Perenara
Ardie Savea
Codie Taylor
Karl Tu'inukuafe
Ofa Tu'ungafasi

To 2022
George Bridge
Reiko Ioane
Joe Moody
Dalton Papali'i

Rumoured to be staying:
Luke Romano
Sam Whitelock but with a sabbatical clause (Toulon and/or Japan)

IDK
Brett Cameron
Mitch Drummond
Gareth Evans
Dillon Hunt
Tyrel Lomax
Angus Ta'avao

[Lizard]

Edited OP with news of the re-signing of Tuipulotu (to 2020) and Papalii (to 2022).

[Lizard]

Contrary to rumour, Aaron Smith has signed until 2021.

[Lizard]

OP updated in accordance with this https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/a ... d=12218144, although the Herald doesn't seem to think Naholo's been nailed down by London Irish yet.

I seem to have missed Coles's re-signing over the summer holidays, and hadn't updated the OP with Luke Whitelock heading off to Pau (noted above by an astute reader). I've also moved Sam Whitelock and clarified his contractual status (TBF I can't see what would keep him here for 2020 though).

Presumably the focus is now on keeping Beauden Barrett and Retallick, closely followed by Mo'unga, the other Barrrett and possibly Goodhue.

[Lizard]

Crotty rumour has been confirmed.

[cashead]

Crotty taking the yen is probably the least surprising news, and probably the best option for him and his long-term health.

[morepork]

I'd knock it on the head (!) now if I were him. He's had his bell rung too many times.

[Lizard]

He strikes me as the kind of guy who could quite quickly move into coaching. He had a knack of making players around him be better.

[Lizard]

Apparently Shag is coat-tailing off Reado into Toyota Verblitz.

Is there weirder professional sport set-up than top level pro rugby in Japan? An overgrown Business House competition, in Asia, populated by journeyman immigrants from the South Pacific, and studded with the odd semi-retired Former World XV Contender.

[cashead]

It's actually not that unusual in Japanese professional sport. The baseball teams are all owned by major corporations already, and 9 of the 10 foundation clubs in the J-League were all originally corporation-owned football clubs that were registered as professional football teams. In fact, the manner in which foreign players are imported is also almost identical, as aside from big name players in the twilight years of their careers like Gary Lineker and Zico, the league was populated by journeymen players, with clubs often choosing to recruit their imports in groups from the same company (one team would primarily pick Argentinians, another would pick Brazilians, another would pick primarily German-speaking players, etc. No idea why, to be honest) and they would have only a handful of caps for their national side. There were occasionally current internationals like Ronaldão and Ramon Medina Bello who were picked for their respective sides while playing for Japanese clubs (both played at the 1994 World Cup, with the former being an unused substitute for Brazil), but for the longest time Dunga (who captained Brazil to the 1998 World Cup final) was the only significant international player to be in Japan while still playing for his national side.

If anything, the Super Rugby structure would seem weirder, like "brah, can't you just take the existing provincial teams and turn those into professional teams?"

[Lizard]

Bloody Japs, eh? Eh?

[morepork]

Looks like Ardie is doing it. Good catch NZRFU

[Lizard]

Good. He is looking bloody awesome this year.