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Highlanders suffer midfield blow as centre Tomkinson to undergo surgery

(Photo by Dianne Manson/Getty Images)

The Highlanders have announced that outside back Patelesio Tomkinson will miss the entire 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season after succumbing to injury suffered in the NPC.

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The 25-year-old local product injured his left foot while playing for Otago during the Bunnings NPC Championship Final against Taranaki two weeks ago, which requires season-ending surgery.

Tomkinson will join explosive wing Jona Nareki on the sidelines in 2022 as the Highlanders look to continue to build under Tony Brown, who returned to the club in 2020 as an attack coach and now enters his second year as head coach.

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The former New Zealand age grade star has made 31 appearances for the Highlanders since debuting in 2017, playing across the backline in both midfield positions and on the wing without settling on one position.

His injury opens the door for the Highlanders young stable of backs to step up into the midfield. Former Crusader Fetuli Paea has made the move down south, along with second year prospect Ngatungane Punivai.

Thomas Umaga-Jensen, who has spent significant time on the sidelines since his debut since 2020 also shapes as another candidate along with Scott Gregory, who featured in the midfield this season after debuting on the wing last year.

2022 Super Rugby Pacific Highlanders Squad

Props: Ayden Johnstone, Ethan De Groot, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Jermaine Ainsley, Jeff Thwaites, Josh Hohneck, Saula Mau

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Hookers: Liam Coltman, Andrew Makalio, Rhys Marshall

Locks: Josh Dickson, Manaaki Selby-Rickit, Bryn Evans, Sam Caird

Loosies: Shannon Frizell, Gareth Evans, James Lentjes, Billy Harmon, Sean Withy, Max Hicks, Marino Mikaele Tu’u, Hugh Renton

Halfbacks: Aaron Smith, Folau Fakatava, Kayne Hammington

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First fives: Mitch Hunt, Marty Banks

Midfield: Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Ngatungane Punivai, Scott Gregory, Fetuli Paea

Outside backs: Mosese Dawai, Vilimoni Koroi, Josh Timu, Sam Gilbert, Connor Garden-Bachop, Solomon Alaimalo

Unavailable due to injury: Paripari Parkinson, Jona Nareki, Patelesio Tomkinson

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Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Rassie Erasmus' Boks selection policy is becoming bizarre

To be fair, the only thing that drives engagement on this site is over the top critiques of Southern Hemisphere teams.


Or articles about people on podcasts criticizing southern hemisphere teams.


Articles regarding the Northern Hemisphere tend to be more positive than critical. I guess to also rile up kiwis and Saffers who seem to be the majority of followers in the comments section. There seems to be a whole department dedicated to Ireland’s world ranking news.


Despite being dialled into the Northern edition - I know sweet fokall about what’s going on in France.


And even less than fokall about what’s cutting in Japan - which has a fast growing, increasingly premium League competition emerging.


And let’s not talk about the pacific. Do they even play rugby Down there.


Oh and the Americas. I’ve read more articles about a young, stargazing Welshman’s foray into NFL than I have anything related to either the north and south continents of the Americas.


I will give credit that the women’s game is getting decent airtime. But for the rest and the above; it’s just pathetic coming from a World Rugby website.


Just consider the innovation emerging in Japan with the pedigree of coaches over there.


There’s so much good we could be reading.


Instead it’s unimaginative “critical for the sake of feigning controversial”. Which is lazy, because in order to pull that off all you need to be really good at is:


1. Being a doos;

2. Having an opinion.


No prior experience needed.


Which is not journalism. That’s like all or most of us in the comments section. People like Finn (who I believe is a RP contributor).


Anyway. Hopefully it will get better. The game is growing and the interest in the game is growing. Maybe it will attract more qualified journalists over time.

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