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Quinn Tupaea returns for Chiefs in side to face Robbie Deans' Wild Knights

02 Feb 2024

Quinn Tupaea with ball in hand for the Chiefs. (Photo by Jeremy Ward/Photosport)

After tearing his ACL in 2022’s Bledisloe Cup, All Blacks midfielder Quinn Tupaea will make his return to Super Rugby Pacific’s pre-season for the Chiefs when the team line up against League One’s undefeated Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights on Sunday.

The 24-year-old will square off with double World Cup winner Damian de Allende at second five-eighth, while more familiar faces from The Rugby Championship in Lood de Jager and Marika Koroibete will also feature in the contest under former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans.

Kaylum Boshier will share captaincy honours for the Chiefs with Rameka Poihipi, and square off with his brother Lachlan Boshier at openside flanker.

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With the Chiefs’ 2023 Rugby World Cup participants still on All Blacks leave, seven members of club’s wider training squad have been drafted in to feature in the contest: Tana Tahukaraina, Josh Jacomb, Millenium Sanerivi, Wallace Sititi, Tevita Ofa, Cody Nordstrom and Riley Hohepa.

Playmaker for the NPC-winning Taranaki side in 2023, Josh Jacomb will spark interest starting at fullback, having surprisingly not made the Chiefs squad for 2024.

Aidan Ross and Naitoa Ah Kuoi will suit up in the contest having ventured to Japan in 2023 as members of the All Blacks XV on their successful two-game tour of the land of the rising sun.

The dangerous backline trio of Shaun Stevenson, Emoni Narawa and Etene Nanai-Seturo are all absent from the travelling squad due to injury but are expected to be healthy by Super Rugby Pacific’s opening round.

Josh Lord, Tyrone Thompson, Kaleb Trask and Gideon Wrampling are the others to feature on the Chiefs’ current injury list.

Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan said there was potential for travelling All Blacks Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tupou Vaa’i, Samipeni Finau, Luke Jacobson, Damian McKenzie and Anton Lienert-Brown to feature in the second of the Japan games against Kubota Spears Funabashi-Tokyo Bay.

“Razor (All Blacks coach Scott Robertson) wants to take a pretty flexible approach, so there’s potentially one or two that may get some minutes in the second game, but we haven’t signed off on that yet.”

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THE CROSS-BORDER RUGBY 2024
v Gallagher Chiefs#???????
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— ??????????? Saitama Wild Knights (@Panasonic_WK) February 2, 2024

Chiefs team to play Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights:

1. Ollie Norris
2. Bradley Slater
3. George Dyer
4. Jimmy Tupou
5. Naitoa Ah Kuoi
6. Samipeni Finau
7. Kaylum Boshier (Co-Captain)
8. Malachi Wrampling
9. Xavier Roe
10. Josh Ioane
11. Peniasi Malimali
12. Quinn Tupaea
13. Rameka Poihipi (Co-Captain)
14. Tana Tuhakaraina
15. Josh Jacomb

16. Millenium Sanerivi
17. Aidan Ross
18. Reuben O’Neill
19. Manaaki Selby-Rickit
20. Wallace Sititi
21. Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi
22. Tevita Ofa
23. Liam Coombes-Fabling
24. Riley Hohepa
25. Cody Nordstrom
26. Hamilton Burr
27. Jared Proffit
28. Kauvaka Kaivelata

Comments

1 Comment

Jen 408 days ago

Will be great to see him out there again after that stinking injury.

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Comments on RugbyPass

MichaelT4 16 minutes ago

Six Nations report card: Each team graded from A to F

I definitely watched the game - England did stun them by winning, no one expected that. Not Englands fault that France dropped the ball - figuratively and literally - and it was England who then outscored them and out scrummed them and battered their big forwards back several times. England arent given enough credit for that win. Game of the tournament. Ireland v France wasnt a game by the second half, it was one-way.

For the Scotland game they were lucky Russell missed his kicks, but Scotland should have had a red card for the head contact from the winger on Chessum. No arms, jumped up and first contact was with the head. Evens out on the luck front.

Not sure England deserve an A that this article gives them, should be reserved for the winner, but they won their games by scoring more points. If another team had the same tournament as England, they would be lauded for their character and grit.

2 Go to comments

JB 32 minutes ago

Six Nations report card: Each team graded from A to F

Re England … “they stunned France …”

Really? Were we watching the same game? France left at least 3 tries begging, none of which were due to England’s defense - they should have been out of sight by half time.

For me, it was more France losing the game than England winning it.

France were stunned, yes, but by themselves

2 Go to comments

Jahmirwayle 49 minutes ago

Crusaders rookie earns 'other than Dupont' praise from All Blacks star

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8 Go to comments

TI 52 minutes ago

Lions selection: 3 winners and losers from each country

Hugo Keenan played well in games where Ireland didn’t. I think he should be listed as a winner instead of Beirne, or Sheehan, who were always going to go.

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Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

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36 Go to comments

fl 1 hour ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

It will be interesting to see how developmental the summer squad is. Given how much consistency of selection there was throughout 2024 and the early part of 2025, I wonder if Borthwick’s suddenly erratic teamsheets were an attempt to build enough depth to play almost solely first team players against Argentina.

E.g. if Freeman and Furbank both go to Australia (which I think would be unlikely) England could still field a back three of Marcus Smith, Roebuck, and Feyi-Waboso, with Steward, Daly, Sleightholme, and Murley also in the squad. Similarly if both Curry brothers and Ben Earl all go (which I think would be similarly unlikely) England could still select Tom Willis, Underhill, and Cunningham-South in the back row. Hardly a developmental lineup! There would have to be newer and less experienced players brought in in the second row and at centre, but even here there could be starting partnerships of Martin & Coles and Dingwall & Daly.

I think there’s a good chance England’s progress will be built on directly in Argentina.

36 Go to comments

JD Kiwi 1 hour ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

The big concern for me is that our 13 forwards are at a big disadvantage against their 15.

36 Go to comments

Otagoman II 1 hour ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

They had an average game against a Hurricanes side that was marginally better. They were poor protecting their ball and blew many promising attacking raids. Tangitau did his best to win the game by himself with a 85 metre intercept try and a a quick tap kick ahead that resulted in another. Highlanders scored no phase play tries. Joseph said that their attack was basically too conservative playing one out and that the support should of been better. They will need to do better with their attack this saturday as the Reds have plenty of points in them with quick ball.

36 Go to comments

fl 1 hour ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?