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Highlanders v Waratahs - Saturday 27 May - 5.30pm

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Ruggo

Mark Ella (57)
Just don't select the big winger. The Clans kicking game and pace out wide will see him terribly exposed.
 

Dan54

David Wilson (68)
Good to see B Smith back, and A Smith, probably naholo too. When you look at the Clan pack they just don't look big enough to compete with the Tahs, I suspect if we cut them open they would have pretty big engines.
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
Good to see B Smith back, and A Smith, probably naholo too. When you look at the Clan pack they just don't look big enough to compete with the Tahs, I suspect if we cut them open they would have pretty big engines.

Feel free to vivisect them all before the game. Tough to run around with giblets falling out all over the shop. We'd be half a chance.
 

teach

Trevor Allan (34)
False optimism in the Highlanders camp, according to their latest email.

"Ben Smith co-captain of the Pulse Energy Highlanders returns after a three week break for injury to play his record equalling 127th game for the Highlanders. Smith stands beside former Highlanders captain Anton Oliver as the clubs most capped player. Also returning from injury is number eight Luke Whitelock meaning a shift for Elliot Dixon to the blindside while Aki Seiuli and Siate Tokolahi retain the starting spots in the front row.

Waisake Naholo returns on the right wing, replacing Patrick Osborne, after serving his one game suspension last week. The bench has an experienced look to it with regular starters Ash Dixon, Siosuia Halanukonuka, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Joe Wheeler, Lima Sopoaga and Rob Thompson all included."


Not sure if the boys will be able to get up for this game. Could be a close one.
 

Micheal

Alan Cameron (40)
Tahs have named an unchanged side from last Sunday.


Don't mind it - that was the best we've played all season and I think the starting XV is pretty much our best.

I'd say Holloway is better than Wells however, but I think the game has almost got the point where you need some of your strongest players on the bench as it seems the last 30 minutes is being increasingly more important.

Game on.
 

Micheal

Alan Cameron (40)
Interestingly enough they've flown Kellaway and Jack Dempsey over with the squad.

Does this mean Dempsey's good for next round?

Great news if so!
 

KOB1987

John Eales (66)
Interestingly enough they've flown Kellaway and Jack Dempsey over with the squad.

Does this mean Dempsey's good for next round?

Great news if so!

Kind of and kind of.

They're actually both playing club rugby this weekend and assuming they pull through that (more in Dempsey's case) are flying over to join the squad on Sunday for the Chiefs game next week.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
Kind of and kind of.

They're actually both playing club rugby this weekend and assuming they pull through that (more in Dempsey's case) are flying over to join the squad on Sunday for the Chiefs game next week.


Hmm... they must be flying at least one and probably two other players over on Thursday then. There's no way they will only have 23 players there for the game.
 

KOB1987

John Eales (66)
Hmm. they must be flying at least one and probably two other players over on Thursday then. There's no way they will only have 23 players there for the game.

That's true, so I just checked the article:

The Waratahs depart Sydney on Thursday evening with a core squad of 23 players, but will fly over Andrew Kellaway and Jack Dempsey to join the group in Queenstown following the weekend's match as they will remain in New Zealand to prepare for the Chiefs the following weekend.
 

Micheal

Alan Cameron (40)
That's true, so I just checked the article:

The Waratahs depart Sydney on Thursday evening with a core squad of 23 players, but will fly over Andrew Kellaway and Jack Dempsey to join the group in Queenstown following the weekend's match as they will remain in New Zealand to prepare for the Chiefs the following weekend.


I see. Misread that.

Probably something to do with multi tasking at work.
 

Lee Enfield

Jimmy Flynn (14)
At the end of the game, NZ police will charge the highlanders with 23 counts of murder, 23 counts of interfering with a corpse and war crimes as the Waratahs are going to get massacred.

Nah just kidding, the Waratahs trained well this week, so a bonus point win is in the bag.
 

Hawko

Tony Shaw (54)
Good to see B Smith back, and A Smith, probably naholo too. When you look at the Clan pack they just don't look big enough to compete with the Tahs, I suspect if we cut them open they would have pretty big engines.


Not sure if you're serious. You're talking about Hooper, Latu and 6 marshmallows against a pack that hasn't lost for months. Maybe Skelton's been good for a week or two but we haven't won the collisions in any round except a couple of Aussie ones. As irrefutable evidence of this truth, I present the first half of the game against the Blues, and that was one of our better performances.

As engines go, Dean Mumm has got one of the biggest engines in Super Rugby. Having a big engine helps you to get to a collision area faster, but its bloody useless at the actual collision.
 

Dan54

David Wilson (68)
Not sure if you're serious. You're talking about Hooper, Latu and 6 marshmallows against a pack that hasn't lost for months.

I think the Clan pack do go bloody well Hawko, my point was they don't look a big pack, apart from Coltman,who is on the edge of ABs, none of the tight 5 really look like they are a big enough pack, they just seem to rip into it together and do the job. Think it one of the many likeable things about the Clan, the total package in a lot of areas seems to add up to more than the sum parts, perhaps good coaching, or great attitude or most likely a combination. I do suspect the Tahs will try and steamroll their pack, whether they do or not maybe another question.
 

Pfitzy

Nathan Sharpe (72)
The question is which 40 minutes is best for them to turn up in from my perspective.

Is it the first 40 so I still feel like we're a chance of winning at halftime but then finish the game with crushing disappointment?

Is it the second 40 so I know the game is lost but can then enjoy a spirited but ultimately fruitless comeback without any expectation of victory (like the Hurricanes match).

Or is it the middle 40 so I can get some of the disappointment out of the way early and then feel like we're still a chance of winning with 20 minutes to go?



I'd like the 40 to be divided up into sections: any time the Highlanders look like scoring a point, we turn up and stop them.

If we dedicate 39 minutes to that, we only need 1 minute to turn up and kick a penalty goal.

At this stage, I'll take 3-0
 

Twoilms

Trevor Allan (34)
How nice would it be if no-one from the 'Tahs camp said anything about the game. Nothing about training well or trying their best, or winning.
 
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