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Given they haven't just walked away from Union I feel like there's a deal to be done here. Let them play NRLW & earn the money RA likely can't afford to pay them, conditional upon them coming back in time for LA Olympics where they'll be far more valuable to you than playing XV's.

England: George Furbank, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Tommy Freeman, Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer, Ben Earl, Tom Curry, Chandler Cunningham-South, George Martin, Maro Itoje, Will Stuart, Jamie George (captain), Ellis Genge. Reserves: Theo Dan, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick...

Razor says JBar is available for Eng & one or both of Blackadder & DPaps potentially for Ire or Fra. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/all-blacks-get-jordie-barrett-boost-before-european-leg-of-northern-tour-scott-robertson-confirms/4244XS6GSNC4ZNSBRIIYDOINZA/

NZR backing Brett Robinson for WR (World Rugby) Chair: https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360467068/nz-rugby-endorses-ex-wallaby-brett-robinson-world-rugby-chair

Thought the Welly prop (?) was gunna get done for head contact in about the 98th minute, the tackle that led to the final scrum. Seemed pretty clear at first glance & was surprised they didn't even look at it in the background.

Watched the first half during lunch in the cricket & bits of the second between overs/ fall of wickets. Felt more like a pre-season blow-out-the-cobwebs than a proper test match.

Quite the GF in Wellywood this arvo:

^ yes but 'nua & Kapiti are distinct local government entities & HRU only became HKRU after the five-into-two (forced) amalgamation that created those Districts. Pull up the list of C-M clubs then Google the place names & you'll get results such as "Waikato District, Waikato Region" or...

North Harbour has established itself as something more than just the part of Auckland that's north of the Harbour Bridge. Counties-Manukau otoh doesn't really exist beyond rugby: I've had loads of people tell me they're from South Auckland or Pukekohe, or somewhere on the West side of the Firth...

Hika Elliott will suit up for Wellys in the GF. Can't be too many guys who've played Heartland & NPC in the same season.

399kg combined (Williams 144, Aumua 109, Tosi 146) if you believe the stats. With two ~120kg locks behind them. That's some serious grunt right there.

Refs have been instructed to, among other things, penalise players who get in the way of box-kick chasers even if they don't change their line: slowing down or stopping to block a chaser is now to be sanctioned...

^ I don't do Twitter but obviously one of the other two will be Fitzpatrick & I'm guessing Keven Mealamu probably captained at some point?

RWC match schedule is out: https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/2025/en/matches

Thanks for posting that @zer0. My hot take is that NZR are waiting for a devalued rights deal to justify the comp downsizing they've clearly wanted for some time now. In addition to Manawatu the other obvious target for culling is Southland & we know there are clubs down there who favour...

1news has a slightly different team sheet: 1. Tamaiti Williams, 2. Asafo Aumua, 3. Pasilio Tosi, 4. Sam Darry, 5. Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 6. Samipeni Finau, 7. Sam Cane, 8. Wallace Sititi, 9. Cam Roigard, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Mark Tele'a, 12. Anton Lienert-Brown, 13. Billy Proctor, 14. Sevu...

There's an article in today's Hurld outlining NZR's plans for a future NPC. Behind the paywall (which @zer0 can hopefully breach as he's previously done) so all I know for sure is that it appears to quote Neil Barnes as saying it "doesn't make sense" which is pretty much what he said to the last...

The whining has begun... https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360457231/england-fear-new-laws-hand-all-blacks-advantage

Great doco on sky marking the 20th anniversary of Bay Of Plenty famously taking the Shield off the Aux after 18 unsuccessful challenges in their then 84-year history. Among the things I'd forgotten were that the BoP coaches were messers Cotter & Schmidt. One of the great days in Shield history...