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The GOAT is back to fill gap for the Highlanders
By Online Editors
Aaron Mauger has announced his Highlanders squad for the 2019 Super Rugby season, headlined by the return of cult hero Marty Banks.
The fan-favourite Banks helps fill an experience gap left by departing All Black Lima Sopoaga and the recent announcement of the Hurricanes signing Fletcher Smith. Otago first five-eighth Josh Ioane shapes as the future of the Highlanders, but will compete with Banks and ex-Blues first five Bryn Gatland for the starting jersey this year.
"We already had Josh Ioane and Bryn Gatland locked in, and we have been really pleased with how they have progressed in Mitre 10 Cup, and feel they are ready to step up," head coach Aaron Mauger explained.
"In the end, what we were looking for is somebody to add just that little bit of experience to the group, someone who can mentor those guys through, but also compete and challenge for that number 10 spot.
"We feel with all the guys we assessed, Marty was the best candidate for that role.
The Highlanders front-row stocks received a boost with the signings of hooker Ray Niuia, and props Josh Iosefa-Scott, Ayden Johnston and ex-Queensland Red Sef Fa'afase.
"Part of the learnings from the 2018 Highlanders was our ability to contest up front against bigger sides.
"So that's one thing we were looking at [a bit of size] when we were looking to recruiting our forward pack, a bit of bulk, and we feel that Ayden Johnston and Josh Iosefa-Scott are going to give us that up front, a well as Sef Fa'agase.
Current props Aki Seiuli and Kalolo Tuiloma are believed to be out for one season, following injuries in the Mitre 10 Cup.
"Aki did his knee playing for Otago and Kalolo sustained a neck injury playing for Counties. It is likely he will have surgery in January that will rule him out for the whole season.
A major snare was the recruitment of Hawkes Bay and last year's Hastings Boys halfback Folau Fakatava. The 19-year-old halfback was injured in the national 1st XV semi-final and subsequently missed his chance to play in the New Zealand schoolboys side. His elevation into a Super Rugby squad already speaks to his pedigree and what he will potentially bring to the Highlanders in the future.
"I reckon he is going to add a real spark to this team, and that's what we are looking for, something a little bit different," Mauger explained on Fakatava's signing.
"He's a very young man, still only 19-years old. He's been up in the Hawkes Bay environment for a number of years. Probably still a little bit green, he hasn't played a lot of minutes but we see massive potential in Folau to bring a different dynamic to our game.
"He loves having a crack, backs himself, and is very physical for a smaller guy and he's just got 'game'.
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More Super Rugby squads:
Hurricanes 2019 Super Rugby squad
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Stephen Larkham, Mick Byrne, Scott Wisental, Ben Mowen, Les Kiss, Jim McKay, Rod Kafer.
There are plenty of great Australian coaches who could do a better job than Schmidt.
Go to commentsThis piece is nothing more than the result of revisionist fancy of Northern Hemisphere rugby fans. Seeing what they want to see, helped but some surprisingly good results and a desire to get excited about doing something well.
I went back through the 6N highlights and sure enough in every English win I remembered seeing these exact holes on the inside, that are supposedly the fallout out of a Felix Jones system breaking down in the hands of some replacement. Every time the commentators mentioned England being targeted up the seam/around the ruck or whatever. Each game had a try scored on the inside of the blitz, no doubt it was a theme throughout all of their games. Will Jordan specifically says that Holland had design that move to target space he saw during their home series win.
Well I'm here to tell you they were the same holes in a Felix Jones system being built as well. This woe is now sentiment has got to stop. The game is on a high, these games have been fantastic! It is Englands attack that has seen their stocks increase this year, and no doubt that is what SB told him was the teams priority. Or it's simply science, with Englands elite players having worked towards a new player welfare and management system, as part of new partnership with the ERU, that's dictating what the players can and can't put their bodies through.
The only bit of truth in this article is that Felix is not there to work on fixing his defence. England threw away another good chance of winning in the weekend when they froze all enterprise under pressure when no longer playing attacking footy for the second half. That mindset helped (or not helped if you like) of course by all this knee jerk, red brained criticism.
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