9 minute read
MELBOURNE REBELS, REDS AND WARATAHS 24SUPER RUGBY AUPIKI – BLUES
Last year: Ninth Head coach: Kevin Foote Captain: TBC
Home ground:
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Website:
melbournerebels.rugby
Tickets:
It was a rebuilding year for the REBELS in 2021 with the team finishing fourth in Super Rugby AU and ahead of only the Waratahs in the Trans-Tasman competition. There is a good blend of international experience and plenty of young guns keen to fire this season, with 11 players aged 24 and under. The biggest loss is undoubtedly barnstorming winger Marika Koroibete who is playing in Japan. He was a deserved winner of the Players’ Player of the Year. Wallaby star Andrew Kellaway finished last year in career-best form and he is expected to take over the mantle from Koroibete as the team’s best attacking force, alongside Matt Hodge and Lachie Anderson. They will need the returning Matt Philip, Rob Leota and Trevor Hosea to step-up to give them the necessary go-forward to ensure quick ball to an exciting backline. Young first-five Carter Gordon showed he does not lack confidence with an audacious display against the Chiefs last year.
Coach Brad Thorn has put his REDS squad through a brutal pre-season with the emphasis on mentally and physically toughening up his players after a dire Super Rugby Trans-Tasman campaign. The Reds had high hopes leading into the TransTasman games after being crowned Super Rugby AU champions but a record 63–28 loss to the Crusaders was the low point in finishing seventh. Several key Reds players also had to deal with the disappointment of missing selection for the Wallabies end-of-year tour, which should motivate them to prove Wallabies coach Dave Rennie wrong. Harry Wilson and Fraser McReight were both controversially omitted, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was not re-selected after leaving camp for the birth of his child, while Angus Scott-Young opted for playing for Bay of Plenty in the NPC when he was not part of Rennie’s plans. Halfback Tate McDermott showed his range of skills in some outstanding performances for the Wallabies
The once proud NSW WARATAHS need to quickly forget 2021. They finished dead last in both Super Rugby Trans-Tasman and Super Rugby AU. From 13 games played, they did not manage one win with an injury-ravaged squad lacking experience across the park. Certainly the widespread fan base throughout NSW will be looking for a glimmer of hope and it may have arrived in the form of Wallabies captain Michael Hooper. The inspirational openside flanker and leader is back after a sabbatical in Japan with Toyota Verblitz and a stunning international season that saw him nominated for World Rugby Player of the Year. Ned Hanigan and Jed Holloway will also return after stints in Japan to add some much-needed experience in the forward pack. First-five is one position where there is good depth with Will Harrison, Ben Donaldson and Tane Edmed all vying for the No 10 jersey. With Gordon likely to be preferred at first-five, experienced Wallaby Matt To’omua could well find a permanent home at second-five. The 31-year-old is far too good to not be starting games and his vast rugby knowledge will be invaluable to Gordon. Among the new players to join the Rebels are experienced halfback Moses Sorovi, sevens star Joe Pincus, Tamati Ioane, Efi Ma’afu and young centre Ray Nu’u, who has a strong Kiwi connection after playing NPC for Southland (2018–2020) and Otago (2021). Head coach Kevin Foote was promoted from defence coach ahead of last year’s Trans-Tasman competition, after Dave Wessels stepped down at the end of the Super Rugby AU season following the team's failure to make the finals. “We’re developing a special culture within the club with the staff, the coaches and the playing group, and I’m excited to take that to the next level (this) season,” Foote says.
against the All Blacks last year. He needs to consistently produce that level for the Reds to inspire his team to Super Rugby Pacific success. His combination with brilliant attacking first-five James O’Connor will be crucial to the Reds chances. Of the 35-man squad, 31 were part of last year’s Super Rugby AU title winning team, with 90 per cent of the squad having come through the Queensland pathway. The Reds launch their Super Rugby Pacific campaign with an all-Australian blockbuster against the Melbourne Rebels at Suncorp Stadium. They then take to the road to face the Waratahs and Western Force, before returning to Brisbane to take on the Fijian Drua. Suncorp Stadium hosts two huge clashes in consecutive weeks, with the Reds taking on their traditional rivals the Waratahs followed by the Super Rugby AU grand final rematch against the Brumbies.
New head coach Darren Coleman signed a three-year deal after coaching LA Giltinis in the Major League Rugby competition. “I’m passionate about the opportunity to coach the Waratahs. I’m coming home to what I regard as my dream job, one I’ve been preparing for over many years,” he says. “I also know that this role comes with an enormous responsibility to establish a winning team that will proudly represent the people of NSW as a collective of the professional and community game. “We have a great deal of work to do to regain our place as the best provincial rugby team in the country. That means a team that Waratahs members and fans are proud of and the team that every rugby-loving kid in NSW wants to play for as they are growing up. “I want our players to get back their love of the game, to rebuild their confidence in themselves and in the team. I want them to bring back that winning culture at the Waratahs.”
Last year: Seventh Head coach: Brad Thorn Captains: Liam Wright and Tate McDermott
Home ground:
Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane Website: reds.rugby
Tickets:
am.ticketmaster.com/ redsrugby TAB odds: $12.00
Last year: Tenth Head coach: Darren Coleman Captain: Michael Hooper
Home ground:
Allianz Stadium, Sydney Website: nsw.rugby
Tickets:
We’ve got the work. You bring the Difference.
We’re building, maintaining, and operating, roads, ports, airports, universities, hospitals, and hotels for 150 years in Aotearoa New Zealand. It takes the passion and the efforts of ten thousand people to make this happen. We are people like you, and we make change happen every day in our local communities.
Take the next step of your career with us as we’re looking for Traffic Managers, Traffic Controllers, Project Managers, Industrial Electricians, Truck Drivers, Quality Auditors, Cleaners and many more.
Barista amateur. Traffic Manager. Rugby player. Quantity Surveyor. Trampoliner. Cleaner. Budding musician. Electrician.
SUPER RUGBYAUPIKI By Peter White
The new women’s competition features the Blues, Chiefs Manawa, Hurricanes and Matatu , the South Island combined team. There will be four weekends of competition throughout March with the top two teams contesting the final on March 26.
Super Rugby Aupiki is a crucial bridge between the domestic Farah Palmer Cup and the Black Ferns, with Aupiki translating to mean “the ascent to the upper most realm”. All games will be broadcast on Sky Sport NZ.
Coach: Willie Walker Captain: TBC Home ground: Eden Park, Auckland Website: www.theblues.rugby Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.nz Contact: PO Box 77012, Mt Albert, Auckland 1350. Phone 09 846 5425 Email: info@blues.rugby
CLEAN BREAK: Krystal Murray on the charge for the Blues women.
BLUES SQUAD
FORWARDS: Aldora Itunu, Aleisha-Pearl Nelson, Chryss Viliko, Krystal Murray, Cristo Tofa, Rebecca Todd, Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate, Eloise Blackwell, Maiakawanakaulani Roos, Tafito Lafaele, Vineta Teutau, Aroha Savage, Ilisapeta Molia, Liana Mikaele-Tu’u, Tenaija Fletcher. BACKS: Luisa Togotogorua, Melanie Puckett, Patricia Maliepo, Ruahei Demant, Sylvia Brunt, Theresa Fitzpatrick, Mele Hufanga, Kalyn Takitimu-Cook, Natahlia Moors, Princess Elliot, Sam Curtis, Tyla Nathan-Wong.
TALENTED SQUAD
The Blues will field the youngest team in Super Rugby Aupiki with an average age of 23. They have 13 players who have played for the Black Ferns and seven players aged 20 and under.
CAMPAIGN PREVIEW: Fifteen players were part of the historic match against the Chiefs earlier last year, which provided an inkling of what the competition will bring and the bridge it can provide from Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) to international game level. The coaching team is spearheaded by Auckland Storm coach Willie Walker, assisted by Tasman FPC coach Mel Bosman (a two-time Rugby World Cup winner with the Black Ferns) and 2021 winning Waikato FPC coach James Semple. Walker coached the inaugural Blues women’s team in their fixture against the Chiefs earlier last year, before the former Super Rugby player coached the Auckland FPC team in his debut season. He and his fellow coaches are delighted with the mix in the squad. “We have got some proven internationals, especially upfront, who will provide the platform for us to develop front-foot ball,” he said. “We have a big pack with some aggressive, hardrunning ball-carriers in the open. There is also a bunch of very exciting young players who will get the opportunity to develop and show-off their skills on this stage. “Our experienced players will have the added responsibility to help develop the young ones to what it means to play in a professional competition.” The Blues have a powerful pack that includes seven current Black Ferns – Eloise Blackwell, front-rowers Aldora Ituna, Aleisha-Pearl Nelson, Krystal Murray and Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate, lock Maiakawanakaulani Roos and loose forward Liana Mikaele-Tu’u. Others with Black Ferns experience are loose forwards Aroha Savage and Ilisapeta Molia, while the backs will be steered around the park by quality internationals Ruahei Demant and Patricia Maliepo. The exciting group of talented youngsters is led by halfback Luisa Togotogorua, speedy winger Princess Elliot and 17-year-old midfielder Sylvia Brunt. All but three players are from the Blues region. There are two highly experienced players from Canterbury, halfback Melanie Puckett and hooker Rebecca Todd, and former New Zealand Under-18 representative fullback Kaylyn Takitimu-Cook is from the Bay of Plenty. One late addition to the Blues squad, who may well be one of the stars of Super Rugby Aupiki, is Black Ferns Sevens player Tyla Nathan-Wong. She was granted a clearance from the Black Ferns Sevens to compete in the first, historic women’s Super-level competition. Walker is delighted to have Nathan-Wong in the squad. “While she was not on the original group of sevens players released for fifteens, we were always hopeful and I left a spot open for her. This is fantastic for us and for Tyla because she has a passion to play for the Blues and to compete in this first Aupiki competition. “As well as her outstanding playing skills, Tyla’s experience on and off the field will be invaluable to help guide our young squad.”
