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North Harbour recruit former All Blacks trainee, lose capped flanker

Rhys Marshall. (Photo by Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix)

North Harbour will likely be without one of their star players for the length of the upcoming NPC season – but they’ve brought in some experienced heads to help counter the loss.

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One-test All Black Dillon Hunt hasn’t been named in the squad for the 2021 campaign and is still feeling the effects of a concussion suffered in the late stages of last year. The former Highlanders openside flanker last featured on the field in the final game of Harbour’s 2020 campaign and despite signing for the Blues for this year’s Super Rugby season, was never able to run out in his new colours.

Former Crusader Ethan Roots is also off the books for the upcoming campaign, with the loose forward still signed on to represent Ospreys in Wales.

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    There will be plenty of experience for the team to call on this year, however, with two bits of astute recruitment particularly noteworthy.

    Former Chiefs hooker Rhys Marshall, who represented the New Zealand Under 20s in 2012, has returned to the country after a five-season stint with Munster. The 28-year-old trained with the All Blacks in 2013 and amassed 28 caps for the Chiefs over four seasons, vying for game time with the likes of Mahonri Schwalger, Hika Elliot and Nathan Harris.

    Marshall will be competing with young Blues hooker Luteru Tolai for minutes this year.

    The other major addition comes in the midfield, with Samoan centre Henry Taefu linking up with Harbour after representing the Western Force in Super Rugby this year.

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    Taefu isn’t the only new internationally-capped player joining the squad, however, with Ikale Tahi halfback Aisea Halo and Manu Samoa lock Senio Toleafoa.

    Former Chiefs wing Asaeli Tikoirotuma also won’t be back for the coming campaign but there’s otherwise a relatively settled look to the squad.

    Experienced forwards Sione Mafileo, Nic Mayhew, Jacob Pierce, Murphy Taramai are all on deck while the likes of Bryn Hall, Bryn Gatland, James Little and Shaun Stevenson will lead the backs.

    North Harbour kick off their campaign at home on August 8 against last year’s Premiership semi-finalists Waikato.

    North Harbour squad:

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    Sione Mafileo
    Nic Mayhew
    Teague McElroy
    Fatongia Paea
    Jimmy Roots
    Karl Tu’inukuafe

    Hookers

    Donald Coleman
    Rhys Marshall
    Luteru Tolai

    Locks

    Xavier Cowley-Tuioti
    Jacob Pierce
    Senio Toleafo

    Loose forwards

    Tate Evans
    Lotu Inisi
    Tim Sail
    Cameron Suafoa
    Murphy Taramai
    Sione Teu
    Chlayton Frans (Apprentice)

    Halfbacks

    Bryn Hall
    Aisea Halo
    Siaosi Nginingini

    First five-eighths

    Bryn Gatland
    Jack Heighton

    Midfielders

    Fine Inisi
    James Little
    Henry Taefu

    Outside backs

    Tomas Aoake
    Kade Banks
    Walter Fifita
    Moses Leo
    Antonio Mikaele-Tu’u
    Shaun Stevenson

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    Comments on RugbyPass

    E
    Ed the Duck 4 minutes ago
    'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

    No I don’t. Point me to any discontent from the French about this? Sure the players have understandably said they’d love to go but that’s the sum total of it on the NH side. Everyone understands the decision making dynamic and the factors driving it. As you’ve already conceded above, NZR were also aware of exactly what was coming.

    90 Go to comments
    B
    BC 5 minutes ago
    Morgane Bourgeois’ Women's Six Nations notebook: The first edition

    Interesting comment from Pauline Bourdon that France would have lost that match at WXV1. Does that mean that France have recovered their mojo and are once again potential worldbeaters?

    1 Go to comments
    E
    Ed the Duck 8 minutes ago
    'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

    Cooperation would be an interesting description of that relationship, the power sits with the money and that’s the club owners.

    90 Go to comments
    E
    Ed the Duck 13 minutes ago
    'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

    Ok, so you tell me why the top 20 French players will be rested for this tour. Explain what the context is and what the decision making process of all the key parties was?

    90 Go to comments
    D
    DC 17 minutes ago
    English-qualified Amena Caqusau agrees Premiership switch from Glasgow

    It says he’s England qualified, but he’ll likely play for Scotland. He’s come through Scotland's development pathway (which i’m surprised even exists) so should play for them or Fiji.

    1 Go to comments
    B
    BC 20 minutes ago
    USA make decision on Ilona Maher as they name player pool

    I think that Ilona Maher’s only position, other than somewhere in the back row, is a bulldozing battering 12. She does not have the pace for a winger or the experience for a 13. USA with Kelter and Cantona, etc have some good centres already.

    1 Go to comments
    A
    AS 22 minutes ago
    Andy Farrell drafts 75-man Lions squad with blunt message to players

    Click bate, where’s the names?

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    SeanBrody 25 minutes ago
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    BC 27 minutes ago
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    I don’t understand the focus on Sing. Her one attribute that is better than everyone else’s is her place kicking, though it is not infallible (PWR final) and both Harrison and Scarratt can be very good off the tee. In other respects, she defends OK but does not pose the attacking threat that Kildunne, Dow, Breach and MacDonald (plus Millie David) do and if she does break clear is quite slow in comparison. I think she will be fortunate to make the RWC squad. She is a good player who would make most other teams, but the Red Roses would be a lesser team if some others were left out at her expense.

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    SeanBrody 27 minutes ago
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    Cooperick 1 hour ago
    The defining moment that will 'raise massive question marks' for Ireland

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    Icefarrow 1 hour ago
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    Who cares? Va’ai is only 1.97, yet he is the best lock at lineouts. Doens’t matter how tall they are so long as they win the ball, and do their job.

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    Bina Heller 2 hours ago
    Mixed Wales update on availability of Josh Adams, Gareth Anscombe

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    4 Go to comments
    C
    CV 2 hours ago
    'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

    You can’t suddenly have a national club game in NZ. Still, our model in NZ is too expensive to run. 26 provincial unions, a Maori union a school union and probably a university union too, all held up by NZR if they make a loss, who would be in dire straits without the Silver Lake money themselves NZR contracts and pays our SR players… And one team has to bring most of the cash in by playing 13 or 14 tests a season. We can’t keep going like that.

    French club money hasn’t done much for their test sides because their clubs never cared much for the national team. They got foreign players in all the time (at the expense of home grown players) until they were forced by the FFR to select 15 home grown players for the matchday 23 in 2017. Only then they started to invest in academies. France have been in every U20 WC final since 2019 and only lost one. And the FFR and clubs actually started to work together, which resulted in France sending development sides on their July tours for years now. It’s only just started. French rugby is a beast and it’s awake now.

    Clubs in Europe are there for themselves, in every sport. Not for the national team. That’s the union’s or federation’s job. EPL clubs don’t care much about the FA either. Most only field 2 or 3 Englsh players every game.

    90 Go to comments
    C
    CV 3 hours ago
    'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

    I think we’ll find out in a few months. France will be competitive. Clubs don’t run players into the ground like they used and rest them more. Last weekend, Toulouse rested their test players against Bordeaux. No Ntamack, Mauvaka, Kinghorn, Capuozzo…. Bordeaux played LBB and Penaud, but took them off once they had a good lead.

    90 Go to comments
    C
    CV 4 hours ago
    'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

    A strong comp has the best players in it and they’re from everywhere. That doesn’t mean you win a WC… Based on your logic, England or Spain should win every FIFA WC and the US every basketball WC. They don’t. In latest FIFA WC final, only two players that came on the park, played in their domestic league (two Frenchmen), the others didn’t.

    5 out of 10 RWCs were won by teams with most of their players in SR, I would even argue 4 out of 10. For the first three SR did not exist, England won one, and of the last two SA won, they had their best players based outside SR with their 2019 win and weren’t even in SR for the last one.

    90 Go to comments
    J
    J Marc 4 hours ago
    'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

    Hum, maybe after answering every day to the same questions, players say what the journo wish to hear….

    90 Go to comments
    R
    Rodrigo N 4 hours ago
    Santiago Mare: 'We are the team that everybody wants to beat'

    Vamos Toto, vamos Pumas!!!!

    1 Go to comments
    G
    GP 6 hours ago
    Ioane Moananu didn't join the Crusaders 'to wait around'

    I will. I have heard a few people mention him.

    5 Go to comments
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