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'We are looking for him to dominate that 15 position': Tony Brown's high hopes for returning fullback

connor-garden-bachop

Highlanders head coach Tony Brown is excited to see fullback Connor Garden-Bachop return to his starting side after a long layoff with injury.

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He is looking forward to the ‘X-factor’ that Garden-Bachop brings to the side and is expecting him to create a lot of things at the back against the Crusaders.

“He’s been training with us for awhile now, the medical staff have been holding him off until his wrist and finger have recovered,” Brown said of Garden-Bachop.

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Aotearoa Rugby Pod | Episode 2

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      Aotearoa Rugby Pod | Episode 2

      “Finally we get to select him this weekend and he’s pretty excited to get out there.

      “I wouldn’t pick him if I didn’t have confidence in him.”

      Garden-Bachop was part of the side that shocked the Crusaders last April, defeating them at home 33-12 in an unexpected result. The Highlanders built a solid 16-7 lead at half time before extending it to 26-7 early in the second half.

      A late Richie Mo’unga try with twelve minutes to go threatened to be the start of a Crusaders comeback, but it was Garden-Bachop who put that to bed by scooping a loose pass inside the Crusaders’ 22 and sliding over for a try to seal the deal.

      “I think with Conor, he’s got a little bit of extra gas, a bit of X-factor there, he’s hugely confident in his own ability so we are looking for him to dominate that 15 position, bring a bit of X-factor to the game like he did last year against the Crusaders, create a lot of things from the back.

      To accomodate the return of Garden-Bachop into the starting team, last week’s fullback Sam Gilbert has moved to the wing in a reshuffle but Brown says that the move to fullback was intended to be temporary.

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      “Sammy Gilbert played his first couple of games for the Highlanders on the wing, he did a really good job there,” he said.

      “We moved him back to fullback in the pre-season, that first game through not having Connor available. He did a good job there but I’m looking forward to seeing him back on the wing, just being physical and really good defensively.

      The other backline change sees barnstorming midfielder Thomas Umaga-Jensen get a start at 12 after an impressive cameo off the bench against the Chiefs.

      The Highlanders possess a sizeable midfield with the pair compared to their Crusaders opposites, with Braydon Ennor and David Havili set for a bruising encounter as traffic is sent their way.

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      “He had a good pre-season, did a great job off the bench. We feel as though he’s ready for a starting opportunity and we are looking forward to seeing the combination between Tug [Umaga-Jensen] and Fetuli [Paea], trying to get physical with the Crusaders midfield,” Brown said.

      “We are hoping that [power] will be a point of difference for him [Umaga-Jensen] and something that will stand out in the competition going forward.”

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      Graeme 1159 days ago

      David Ennor you say ?

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      Eliza Galloway 1 hour ago
      Geoff Parling: An Englishman roasting the Lions?

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      JW 1 hour ago
      James O'Connor, the Lions and the great club v country conundrum

      Lol you need to shoot your editor for that headline, even I near skipped the article.


      France simply need to go to a league format for the Brennus, that will shave two weekends of pointless knockout rugby from their season and raise the competitions standards and mystique no end.


      The under age loophole is also a easy door to shut, just remove the lower age limit. WR simply never envisioned a day were teams would target people under the age of 17 or whatever it is now, but much like with Rassie and his use of subs bench, that day was obviously always going to come. I can’t remember how football does it, I think it’s the other way around with them, you can’t sign anyone younger than that but unions can’t stop 17 or 18 yo’s from leaving for a pro club if they want to. There is a transaction that takes place of a few hundred thousand for a normal average player. I’d prefer rugby to be stricter and just keep the union bodies signoff being required.


      What really was their problem with Kite and co leaving though? Do we really need a game dominated by Internationals? I even think WR’s proposed calendar might be a bit too much, with at minimum 12 top tier games being played in the World Championship. I think 10 to 12, maybe any one player playing 10 of those 12 is the best way to think of it, for every international team is max, so that they can allow their domestic comps to shine if they want, and other nations like Japan and Fiji can, even some of the home nations maybe, and fill out their calendar with extra tours if they like them as a way to make money. As it is RA don’t have as good a pathway system, so they could simply buy back those players if they turn good. Are they worried they’ll be less likely to? We wait for baited breath for the new season to be laid out in front of us by WR.

      It could impose sanctions on the Fédération Française de Rugby, but the body which runs the Top 14 and the ProD2, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, is entirely independent.

      It’s not independent at all. The LNR is a body under, and commissioned by, the FFR (and Government control) to mediate the clubs. FFR can simply install a new club competition if they don’t listen, then you’d see whether the players want to stay at any club who doesn’t tow the line and move to the new competition, as they obviously wouldn’t fall under the auspice of world rugby. They would be rebels, which is fine in and upon itself, but they would isolate themselves from the rest of the game and would need to be OK with that. I have no doubt whatsoever that clubs would have to and want to fall in line to remain part of the EPCR and French rugby. Probably even the last thing they would want is to compete with another French domestic competition that has all the advantages they don’t.


      All those players would do good for a few seasons in France, especially the fringe ones, with thankfully zero risk of them being poached if they turn good. New Zealand had a turn at keeping all of it’s talent, and while it upticked the competitiveness of the Super Rugby teams into a total dominance of Australian and South African counterparts (who were suffering more heavily than most the other way at that stage), it didn’t have as positive an effect on the next step up as ensuring young talents development is not hindered does. Essentially NZR flooded the locate market with players but inevitably it didn’t think the local economy could sustain any more pro teams itself, so now we are seeing a normal amount of exodus for the availability of places again. Are Australia in exactly the same footing? I think so, finances where dicey for a while perhaps but I doubt they are putting money constraints on their contracting now. It’s purely about who leaves to open up opportunity.

      62 Go to comments
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