RugbyRebels

So some team called the Owl Backs or something have announced their squad. Don't know why it's such a big deal, who'd they ever beat?

New caps are underlined, injury replacements are italicised.

Hookers
Dane Coles (Hurricanes/Wellington)
Nathan Harris (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
Codie Taylor (Crusaders/Canterbury)

Props
Wyatt Crockett (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Charlie Faumuina (Blues/Auckland)
Owen Franks (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Joe Moody (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Ofa Tu'ungafasi (Blues/Auckland)

Locks
Tom Franklin (Highlanders/Otago)
Brodie Retallick (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Luke Romano (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues/Auckland)
Sam Whitelock (Crusaders/Canterbury)

Loose Forwards
Sam Cane (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
Kieran Read (Captain, Crusaders/Canterbury)
Elliot Dixon (Highlanders/Otago)
Jerome Kaino (Blues/Auckland)
Ardie Savea (Hurricanes/Wellington)
Liam Squire (Highlanders/Tasman)

Halfbacks
Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Chiefs/Waikato)
TJ Perenara (Hurricanes/Wellington)
Aaron Smith (Highlanders/Manawatu)

Five-Eighths
Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes/Taranaki)
Aaron Cruden (Chiefs/Manawatu)
Lima Sopoaga (Highlanders/Southland)

Midfielders
Ryan Crotty (Crusaders/Canterbury)
Malakai Fekitoa (Highlanders/Auckland)
George Moala (Blues/Auckland)
Charlie Ngatai (Chiefs/Taranaki)
Seta Tamanivalu (Chiefs/Taranaki)

Back Three
Israel Dagg (Crusaders/Hawke's Bay)
Waisake Naholo (Highlanders/Taranaki)
Julian Savea (Hurricanes/Wellington)
Ben Smith (Highlanders/Sopoaga

Utility Back
Damien McKenzie (Chiefs/Waikato)

Dagg back in black. Looking forward to Ardie let loose.

What happened to Dagg? I don't see any Super Rugby. He seemed to be tearing it up for years and then just disappeared.

The younger surveyor does look a handful from what I've seen too.

Mikey Brown wrote:What happened to Dagg? I don't see any Super Rugby. He seemed to be tearing it up for years and then just disappeared.

The younger surveyor does look a handful from what I've seen too.

Injuries hurt his form quite hard, and he fell away quite badly last year.

Mikey Brown wrote:What happened to Dagg? I don't see any Super Rugby. He seemed to be tearing it up for years and then just disappeared.

People figured out his goose step and that was his attacking game gone. His defence then regressed from being adequate to being poor again. Only thing really keeping him around was his kicking and catching abilities.

He seems, however, to have rediscovered how to run with the ball, so we'll see how he goes. Not sure about his defence, though.

One guy that I think can feel aggrieved at halfback as Brad Weber, who has been in excellent form this season, benefiting from consistent starts for the Chiefs.

Jeffery Toomaga-Allen has improved considerably as well, but Hansen did also explain that Tu'ungafasi's call-up had a lot to do with his ability to prop on either side.

I think the call-ups of Dixon, Squire and Franklin also prove that the Highlanders pack wasn't ignored, but rather, any major All Black ambitions they had ended up being the victims of timing. Had they pulled off their championship win in 2014, playing the way they did last year, they probably would have been selected then.

Aren't the Canes a little under-represented there - esp. in the backs??

rowan wrote:Aren't the Canes a little under-represented there - esp. in the backs??

A real shame Skudder is injured.

rowan wrote:Aren't the Canes a little under-represented there - esp. in the backs??

No.

Perenara is injury cover on a 50/50 call. Barrett and Savea are in the squad. NMS would be in if fit.

Which other Canes back justifies selection?

Jane has been ok but not as good as Dagg and would be a backwards step.

Aso shows promise but is not the finished article and certainly not better than any player he could replace. Proctor isn't good enough. Laumape is a rookie. I think Halaholo has signed overseas.

Lizard wrote:

rowan wrote:Perenara is injury cover on a 50/50 call. Barrett and Savea are in the squad. NMS would be in if fit.

Pretty much. If anything, the Hurricanes backs might be over-represented at the moment. The following would be the unlucky ones out of those that have missed a call-up. Equally, it'll be hard to justify dropping the current players as well, because pretty much everyone there has been selected on merit, or brings something very valuable to the table, that the ones below may have been missing.

Hooker:
Hika Elliot, James Parsons

Prop:
Jeff Toomaga-Allen

Loose Forwards:
Matt Todd, Blade Thomson

Halfback:
Brad Weber

Midfield:
Matt Faddes

Back Three:
James Lowe, Jason Woodward, Tevita Li

I really don't get what you see in Li that ALL the other wingers in NZ don't have.

I've changed my mind. Sopoaga should start.

Is there a way of fitting Cane and Savea into the same 23. Either of them losing out would be pretty harsh. Obviously Cane is in poll position given his experience