Reds uncover New Zealand’s lack of depth at 7
However, there were some ominous signs for the red and blacks, and indeed for New Zealand rugby in general, primarily in the way an unheralded loose forward trio managed to out-passion, and actually dominate, the Crusaders, including All Black captain-in-waiting Kieran …
TJ Perenara
TJ Perenara: Making the most of his opportunities
TJ Perenara, even at only twenty years old, is capably filling the halfback slot left by Piri Weepu at the Hurricanes. Under normal circumstances a player like Perenara, whose full name is Thomas Tekanapu Rawakata Perenara, would have to fulfil a reasonable apprenticeship behind a much more senior player. However, TJ Perenara is part of a young group of players, particularly in the Hurricanes, taking New Zealand by storm. Many of these players were part of the victorious New Zealand Under 20s who dominated and won the 2011 U20 Junior World …
Ben Tameifuna
Ben Tameifuna: Young 138kg Leviathan Prop for the Chiefs and Hawkes Bay Rugby Teams
As the 2012 Super Rugby tournament kicked off, critics lamented the lack of quality, depth and experience in the Chiefs tight five. When they lost their two starting props, Ben Afeaki and Toby Smith, to long term injury in the opening loss to the Highlanders, the feeling of inevitability was further exacerbated. No one, not even the Chiefs coaches or the young man himself would have predicted their saviour would have come in the ample form of Ben Tameifuna, a 138kg 20 year old out …
Dan Carter 2.0
The recent return of Dan Carter to the Crusaders’ ranks in the last few weeks has provided us with the first insight into what we can expect in the coming seasons from the talismanic fly-half.
Having dominated international rugby for nearly a decade, the All Blacks’ champion number 10 had his World Cup dreams dashed with a devastating groin injury, and is only now returning to full fitness.
But, as inevitably happens with ageing players, and players returning from serious injuries, the Carter we see in the coming years will be a different Carter from the one we’ve seen previously. …
RugbyFix Picks: Super Rugby Round Eleven 2012
A couple of local derbies in the Hurricanes v Blues and Brumbies v Waratahs, and a grudge matche between last year’s grand finalists should light up round eleven of the 2012 Super Rugby competition. Even the Hurricanes v Blues, between two of New Zealand’s lowest ranked teams, will have plenty of venom. The Hurricanes, particularly fly half Beauden Barrett, broke Blues hearts when they met earlier in the season (see the video on the Beauden Barrett player profile… article). It was a devastating loss the already precarious Blues never recovered from. Neither team have had great results over the last
