Kiwi wrap (Wed)
Keo.co.za brings you the latest news from New Zealand.
Kaino to repay AB debt
Jerome Kaino is determined to move past his off-field antics with a first-class performance against the Springboks in Wellington.
Kaino was charged with drinking and driving last week, two days before Jimmy Cowan was slammed for drunk and disorderly conduct. The All Blacks have elected to retain Kaino, a decision that surprised the Blues loose forward.
“All I can do is focus on the South Africans this week and we’ll deal with it [the charge] when I have my court hearing and I’m meeting with my employer [the NZRU] in a couple of weeks,” he told RugbyHeaven.co.nz.
“I was worried about my place in the squad full stop. There was a moment there when I sat back and I was just waiting for a phone call from Graham Henry saying not to bother turning up to camp.”
Kaino is yet to face the Springboks in a Test, but the experience at Super 14 level means he won’t be unprepared for their typical physicality.
“There’s nothing unfamiliar to us. We are a lot smaller than them but a lot of the time we dominate them. I can’t wait for that challenge.
“From what I hear they are quite confident, so we look forward to testing them physically and taking them on,” he said.
Surgery sidelines Leonard
All Blacks scrumhalf Brendan Leonard will only return to rugby in 2009 after undergoing surgery to a damaged knee.
According to the Waikato Times, the Chiefs No 9 will endure a lengthy recovery and will only be back in action come the 2009 Super 14. He first injured knee ligaments in this year’s regional competition and after one operation, was expected back following a six-week rest.
A second surgery, however, has confined him to the sideline for the remainder of the season.
The 23-year-old was pushing hard for a starting spot in the national side and would have been a valuable addition for the grueling Tri-Nations which starts this Saturday.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 am
Green dragons are better than Black dragons!
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:04 am
They seem to have a real problem with player discipline in regards to drinking in Aus/NZ – the older guys must try and set the example
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:32 am
bla bla bla – we be having it !!!
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:04 am
Have another beer!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:09 am
I like this guys attitude, look for a big game from him. My thing is that top players don’t read these blogs and don’t give a toss about what fanboys say. Top coaches will toss you a bone now and then but don’t belief they are giving away top secrets.
“There’s nothing unfamiliar to us. We are a lot smaller than them but a lot of the time we dominate them. I can’t wait for that challenge.From what I hear they are quite confident, so we look forward to testing them physically and taking them on,” he said.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
“Jerome will not be the designated Bus Driver on match day”
Ali Williams.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:23 pm
#6 cane:
Graham Henry will let Jerome drive the bus until he crashes it three times.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
“We are a lot smaller than them”
Really?
Just how much smaller is “a lot”?
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
# DaveB:
Green dragons are a myth. Black dragons are legend!!
Dear BigTwit catch this (Martin Johnson):
“A lot of thought and detail went into the squad,” said Johnson. “The experimental laws coming in next season were a factor: we will have to look at our lineout, which is why we went for Nick Kennedy, and we will need to play, move the ball wide and get around the field, which is why Tom Varndell got the nod. New Zealand showed us where we need to get to.”
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:35 pm
#9 AiDoc: he’s not saying New Zealand the team, he’s saying the tour to New Zealand showed us where we need to improve
dopey shanghai doc
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:58 pm
#10 Big Hit: Now lets have your comments BIG ***, on why oh why is your great coach seeing the light and has got 2 kiwis in his squad, so lets here it from you ya tosser about our Islanders whom most were born here, and now the Pohms are grabbing our players, because you lot are so fucken useless, and they havn’t even been born there, so how do you get around that? Oh excuse me IRB, because we are so fucken useless can we please have some of the kiwis, who are the best in the world, even though the players mentioned have never played for NZ, and had problems even staying in S14.
What a sad bunch of tossers you lot are
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:51 pm
#7 church – like chch but pronounceable:
Yeah,did you hear about GH is contributing the the Global Warming,its his fault.
How about GH bad coaching in the 2003 RWC failure as well,oh hang on that was Mitchell and Deans.Deans made the call to leave out Tana and play McDonald.Even in Tanas book around that time there was the Deans in crowd and us guys,Cantabrians and that other fellas.Thats how it was.
CHCH as you can see everyone man makes mistakes,it takes more of a man to forgive and carry on.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:55 pm
#8 stavros:
About 43 million people smaller
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:02 pm
#10 Big Hit:
What a clown,so what part of NZ showed them where they need to get to?The Strip club.
If you took that team to USA,would he have noticed where improvments are needed.
WE all said on here that England would struggle with there backs.It dosnt matter if you field your #1 team or not,your backs will struggle against NZ,SA and OZ most of the time.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:06 pm
#11 CHAZ:
Oh no thats different,i dont know how but Big Hit will come up with Fluteys great grandma x 10 was English,wait for it
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Flutey was discarded by NZ and they never even made him an offer to return home. He’s been better than McAlister and Mauger this season yet the arrogant Kiwis can’t see past the end of their nose.
I have no problem with recruiting players which other countries aren’t going to use and have qualified by IRB rules. Its when they start poaching star players which would’ve been fielded by their country of birth that there is a problem.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:53 pm
And for the record I disagreed with recruiting Vainikolo, that was wrong and unjustified, because Tonga would’ve used them (in their squad at least).
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:57 pm
#14 Hurricane: u know nothing about our backs, we have better backs than NZ, we just choose not to use them.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:58 pm
u send your crappy backs up here and they look average (e.g. Spencer, Mauger, McAlister, Marshall)
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:22 am
#18 Big Hit: hahahahahahahahahahahahaha, oh you’re priceless you are, wooohooooo, you’re one cuckoo who flew right into the cuckoo’s nest and you’re now its emblem.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:24 am
#19 Big Hit: so they’re crappy here, but average up there, ie, somehow, they’ve improved, yet you think they’re not as good. Wow, my six year old has better logical understanding than you.
Flutey loks good up there because he’s continually playing against substandard opposition.
You’ve got egg all over your face you nutter, and you still stagger on like a punch drunk fighter
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:26 am
#20 KiaKahaNZ: have you heard of Gerachty, Simpson-Daniel, Ellis, Cipriani, Sackey, Tait, Wilkinson, Care, Ojo, Varndell, Allen, Abendanon, Foden?
thought not
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:27 am
#21 KiaKahaNZ: Flutey won the player of the year award, McAlister and Mauger were nowhere near him. So what of your great backs?
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:46 am
I have no complaints England selecting flutey for their team,if hes eligible then good luck to him. That makes the second Maori player to play for England after Henry Paul. Only SA of the big 5 haven,t selected a Maori player.
Aus Jeremy Paul,Turunui, prob a few others, France- Marsh, Wales have Sonny Parker, Shane Howarth.
Just a recognition of the quality of Maori players.
But seriously you cant imagine England have had better backs than NZ. Thats just being silly now.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:49 am
#22 Big Hit: Yes, I have heard of all them, you want me to name but a few of our players, whats your point?
Flutey player of the year, thats wonderful for the man, who I am to judge and what was the criteria, a player of the year usually requires that his services have been broadcasted in previous years to justify it too. Who trained him, who got him there, its just way too rich to suggest your backs are better than ours when the proof is in the pudding on how many times our backlines have run all over yours.
For McAlister or Mauger, adjusting to new players around them, having more knowledge of the players they are coming up against, and generally having a season or two behind them in that environment would surely help their chances too, no? Flutey has had that time, and thats what you would expect from a player who is more familiar with their surroundings, its quite logical BH.
Imagine if Mauger for example hit the ground running and was voted Player of the Year, it would tell us more about UK rugby than tell us more about Mauger. Fact is that even with Flutey claiming the title, suggests you have more problems in the UK than you care to acknowledge.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:02 am
#24 lapoftherugbygods: I got no complaints either, and I have never understood why there has ever been such a big deal. In fact most times there is not, but its the green eyed monsters from the UK and other rugby followers who point the finger at NZ when they see pacific islanders running out representing either NZ or a province in NZ. They’re not actually upset these people are playing for us they think its the only reason why we keep winning, despite us winning the majority of our games well before they came along.
But its different you see, many of them grew up seeing the names of Wilson, Smith etc listed in the AB’s not Umaga or So’oialo etc, they are foreign names, they do not belong there according to their prejudiced view of how the All Blacks should be configured.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:04 am
Does anyone complain that Japan are poaching many of our players, no, why not, because Japan are not beating their supported team, they are no threat.
Its pathetic jealousy, whilst turning a blind eye to their own teams inadequacies.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:47 am
#24 lapoftherugbygods: NZ backs are overrated, the only good ones are the Fijians. When the rest come north they’re mediocre. Paul’s father was English
#25 KiaKahaNZ: stop making excuses for them being average up here, they were never that good to begin with, thats why NZ never win the World Cup
#27 KiaKahaNZ: you’re missing the point, the players that Samoa/Fiji/Tonga get from NZ usually have familial links and are generally short of top class, NZ take star players who would certainly make island teams
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:45 am
#28 Big Hit: Name me these big players who would certainly make the island teams, had they been trained, influenced etc in the islands prior to coming to NZ at the age of 3, or 5, why should they play for the island teams? They want to play here, they grew up here, this is where its at for them, not in the islands, I wnat to know who we have taken Big Hit, which STAR PLAYERS have we taken?
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:11 am
#28 Big Hit: I’m suprised Big *** you havn’t choked yet, with the shite you talk, no wonder every country in world has a winging pohm, some know when to go away, if look closely and actually read the blogs, you will notice a few things, a) Dosn’t matter what your coach is saying, ( and consequently he spent a few years in nz learning his trade) you still come with bile, nobody gives a toss about what you think, we all know that english rugby has been and allways will be a has been, and nothing better, you are nation of moaners, known all over the world as such, you live in a dreary place full of dreary people
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:27 am
Sitveni Sivivatu, Alama Ieremia, Joeli Vidiri amongst others and they tried for Rupeni Caucaunibuca too, now Fetu’u Vainikolo is being lined up, these are the types of players NZ go for, top players that could make a big difference to smaller nations with weaker teams.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:21 am
Thats racially prejudice of you there BH, NZ did not “go”for them, Rupeni Caucaunibuca in particluar still plays for Fiji, FFS, only when he turns up or if they can find him, he came to NZ to better his rugby, we did not lure him. He then went back.
SS – Oh I see, becuase him and Joeli went to college, from age 13, they were STAR PLAYERS were they, (not at the time – if anything they were above average for young teenagers) fact is Joeli was asked over here by his extended family, NO ONE at NZRFU bought him a ticket, you need to reserach your facts. SS was asked by a college, on the basis, the NZRFU had nothing to do with that either. There is a college in NZ called Wellesley College, who used to go up to the islands and scout young talent for the first XV, they couldnt give a toss about what happens after that, but they wanted to beat the premier colleges in Auckland and NZ, so it was more to do what was happening inside NZ, Now many of those same islanders have gone back to their respective homes on the islands, and are now passing on the lessons they learnt while they were here.
Problem is BH< you listen to too many myopic british journos who make this stuff up, to try and make themselves either look smart, or two steps ahead of the game, when in factm they make right asses out of themselves because they do not know the actual facts.
You never acknowledge how many people have learnt they game in NZ and have gone out and spread the word for other nations do you, we have more players located in Europe, Asia, the Americas inc Canada and now representative of Pacific Island teams, who learnt their trade of playing rugby in NZ.
Most of the Pacific Island players in their national sides do not even play at home – they cant there is no competition, and like Argentina, play in Europe, or play in NZ. – from whence the majority of them were born too might I add.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:35 am
Big Hit = where are you located, you seem to post almost 18 hours a day on here, within our time zones, however, I have the feeling you’re actually located either in New Zealand or somewhere close, Aus perhaps?
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:36 am
From the Guardian:
World rugby’s attempt to look after its smaller nations suffered a huge set-back yesterday when the Fijian wing Rupeni Caucaunibuca, one of the stars of the World Cup, said that he intends to play for New Zealand.
Caucaunibuca, better known as Caucau, scored three tries in the World Cup including a remarkable solo effort against France after which he was banned for two games for a punch on the French flanker Olivier Magne. He says Fiji cannot afford to pay him what he could earn as an All Black.
“I believe I have done my part for Fiji,” he said. “I am switching allegiance and going for a spot in the All Blacks team.”
There’s no doubt money talks when it comes to deciding who to play for, if you ignore this you’re being wilfully blind.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:13 am
Ah but by that same token if the French were to put up enough cash in front of him, he may have gone there, the key point is BH, he wants to be an ALL BLACK – dont you get it, this is an emotinal desire as much as it is financial, and who are we to stop people from fulfilling their ambition.
But somehow, you make this an NZ problem, and its not, money is also ruining the All Blacks than its helping them, if it were only for money, Caucau would have sought a european contract.
Dont blame us for that
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:22 am
#34 Big Hit:
Willfully blind? Now we’ve got you. You are Willfully Carling in drag! You should have listened to your mother when she told you to leave it alone or go blind.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:14 am
#34 Big Hit: Whats the problem with getting players from weaker nations, look at the North, France wouldn’t have a soccer team if this kind of thing was banned and Senegal would have a world cup finalist national team! What about the amount of NZ, South African and Australian players you guys are poaching! Rugby is a professional sport, and its the player’s right to work where he wants to and the one that makes him the better offer. As an employee that is what you would do, what is so different with Rugby players!
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
#16 Big Hit:
Flutey wasnt anything special in NZ thats why he left.We have 10 better players in his postion here,he was a come of the bench player in NZ and yet he looks great in England,that shows the difference between the players he has to face in England,they are weak.
#18 Big Hit:
Drop kick post of the month so far.Big Hit your team is ****,your backs are ****,your forwards have been mediocre,ask Scotsman who has the better backs out of NZ and England,as a matter of fact ask anyone on this site.
#31 Big Hit:
So out of the 1000s islanders playing there rugby in NZ,you find 4.
Look England are doing the same,flashing big money in front of our players,so what.Good on then for going,it is a professional sport.When will you come to the 21st century Big Hit.