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Another Highlanders loose forward Japan bound
By Online Editors
The Manukata Sanix Blues have announced two key signings for the 2018 season, one of which is Highlanders and Maori All Blacks loose forward Dan Pryor.
The Japanese Top League side have also signed South African prop John-Roy Jenkinson, who has previously featured for the Bulls in Super Rugby and South Africa at the U20 level.
The side also announced the departure of former Springboks lock Jacques Potgieter.
Pryor - who is yet to make an appearance this season - joins fellow Highlanders and Maori All Blacks loose forward Elliot Dixon in heading to Japan after it was announced last month that Dixon had signed with the Ricoh Black Rams. Highlanders Richard Buckman and Tom Franklin are also set to move to Japan, having announced their signing with the Wayne Smith-led Kobe Steelers in April.
The 30-year-old will also join fellow Maori All Blacks Jason Emery and Andre Taylor at the club.
Auckland-born Pryor has represented Northland since 2010 and had a stint with the Blues Super Rugby squad in 2012, making one appearance before finally joining the Highlanders in 2015, who he has featured for 34 times.
Pryor was named in the Maori All Blacks squad in 2014, making his debut in a 61-21 win over Japan, coming on to the field as a replacement for Dixon. The following week the sides met again, with Pryor starting the match and scoring the decisive try in the final minute of the match.
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Has there ever been a Red and Black you don't rate GP over the years? However to be fair most of your favs have had the goods.
Go to commentsI'm not very hopeful of a better change to the sport. Putting an Aussie in charge after they failed for two decades is just disgusting. What else will be brought in to weaken the game? What new rule changes will be made? How will the game be grown?
Nothing of value in this letter. There is no definitive drive towards something better. Just more of the same as usual. The most successful WC team is getting snubbed again and again for WC's hosting rights. What will make other competitions any different?
My beloved rugby is already a global sport. Why is there no SH team chosen between the Boks, AB's, Wallabies and Fiji? Like a B&I Lions team to tour Europe and America? A team that could face not only countries but also the B&I Lions? Wouldn't that make for a great spectacle that will also bring lots of eyeballs to the sport?
Instead with an Aussie in charge, rugby will become more like rugby league. Rugby will most likely become less global if we look at what have become of rugby in Australia. He can't save rugby in Australia, how will he improve the global footprint of rugby world wide?
I hope to be proven wrong and that he will raise up the sport to new heights, but I am very much in doubt. It's like hiring a gardener to a CEO position in a global company expecting great results. It just won't happen. Call me negative or call me whatever you'd like, Robinson is the wrong man for the job.
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