Think this could be very expensive for the Bulldogs – my money is on an out of court settlement with a pretty hefty value.

Hard way to learn that even if you don’t consider these sorts of actions as out of the ordinary given it’s a sports – reality is that it’s a workplace and like any workplace rules are in place for a reason.

There is so much wrong with this article….

Forget the Wallabies, move to NZ – 5 year residency spent drink Malborough Sav Blanc and you can qualify for the AB’s.

Not that Sam Whitelock and B Retallick we are looking for some quality tall timber and who says you can’t play test matches when you are hitting in your 50’s!!

100% and think Burke will be rolling out for Scotland in next year or two.

According to some reports – they have already attempted to get him to play for one of the Scottish (Edinburgh?)Prof sides as he is qualified to play for them by parent/grand-parent rule.

Sad for Crusaders really – they built him up with the knowledge that he would replace Mo’unga long term. But when the Nth come calling with their deep pockets – only going to be one winner in that race!

Yip like I said “They still have a great pack when everyone is on board”

But having those two players back along with S Barrett is not going to address the big issues that they have around 9 and 10.

I can understand why both Heighpenny and Patchell were brought on by Crusaders/Highlanders – as for both teams their depth at this level is effectively very talented kids around 20-23.

Both teams effectively are having to fast track youth because they don’t have any alternatives now and so think it could be very painful year or two coming up for fans of the respective franchises.

Not until they find themselves some direction at 9 and 10. Holtham looks the answer at 9 long term but they are in big trouble at 10.

They have just lost who they thought would be the next long term 10 in F Burke and they have then got a journeyman 10 in Hohepa – who even at ITM cup level was average and then Taha Kemara and R Reihana.

Kemara has being spoken about as being the next big thing in 10’s but hard to say that currently given his youth and then Reihana – well can’t even work out how to work down a shot clock.

So big issues for the Crusaders with no easy solution. They still have a great pack when everyone is on board and not to shabby backs when Ennor and Jordan return – but playmaking is a massive issue and not easily solved – though this lack of depth at 10 is apparent across the NZ game.

I think so and we got to the WC Final in large part due to the draw.

Past group stages where we dropped a game for the first time – played fantastically to beat Ireland and then had to beat Argentina – who we should beat 9 times out of 10.

Consider that vs the Boks draw…

Yip, when you look at the teams playing Super Rugby, for a number of teams and that obviously includes the Highlanders, you can see how NZ has lost a large part of that middle tier of player.

Those players would never have being AB material, but are/were quality Super level players – now in large part we have lost them to overseas and that is why Super teams are playing so many youngsters – I mean as a professional rugby players you either get tagged to make the AB/Representative team or you head overseas after couple seasons Super rugby to maximize your income in a very short playing career.

Understand the reasoning behind the players decamping but it does hollow out the depth available in NZ and we can see in how some of the teams are going now.

To be honest – given the way that played the Highlanders are not an Super side but a mid tier ITM cup side.

Understand they are playing kids but when you look at who is playing club rugby today in Dunedin real question around selection policy.Best 10 is playing club rugby and unsure why exactly that is.

Really think some serious questions need to be asked around Dermody and if he is the right man for the job, because even the basics seemed beyond the Highlanders last night.

It a 3 year stand down now.

Guess it makes the story interesting if he did turn out for the Wallabies!

But, just have to say that International rugby now is a glorified Club comp. Really it’s probably only Argentina out of the top tier teams – that does not have players chopping and changing.

I mean will Alex Hodgman be the next cab off the rank – a former AB turning into a Wallaby? He couldn’t get a Super gig in NZ, offered a role in Qld and next thing he is talking about how proud he would be to be a Wallaby.

In NZ we have Brad Shields (Ex England) and J Ainsley (Ex Wallaby who then played for AB XV last year) – both of whom are now available to play for the AB’s!

Maybe the AB’s should check if Jamieson Gibson-Park, B Aki and J Lowe would like a 3 year stand down and then roll out for NZ – They could play for us in the next WC!

Bizarre commentary – the “current All Blacks at 30 are absolute masters of the craft after 12 professional years at the highest level” Um did they win the WC and probably the best Kiwi centre running around is playing for Ireland!

Then “ramschackle rookies” – honestly what world are you living in and who made you gatekeeper of the AB’s?

He is a hughly talented player and who if he is good enough will be welcomed with open arms into the AB’s.

Just a bizarre series of comments – remember he is going to play with a walk stick…..

And by the way, both Nonu, Smith and Bunce were playing their best rugby in their 30’s…… Yip all those centres – gone by 26…..

Clown comments

“utterly absurd age to begin a test career and an insult to the All Blacks and New Zealand rugby”

According to who – You?

The commentary around his age is frankly bizarre when you consider the current AB’s – all of whom he is of an age with. He is in the prime of his playing career and if he makes the grade, more than welcome into the AB’s for this AB Fan.

Bizarre comment – guy is 27, turning 28 this year.

Given sports medicine players are playing deep into their 30’s – Conrad Smith (centre for AB’s) was rolling out for AB’s at 35.

Play 1 or 2 seasons in Japn, move to the Chiefs (born and brought up in Chiefs territory) and get a grounding at 12 or 13 – then next stop AB’s or AB XV. Would be pretty dangerous centre pairing of him with Jordie Barrett.

Should add he will be competiting with Anton L-Brown 29Yr, R Ioane 27 Yr, David Havili 29Yr and J Barrett 27Yr. Some yip they are clearly years younger than him….

So yea really is an old man needing a walking stick…..

Big issue for me with TJ, is that as a 9 his pass is not up to scratch and that has being found out in some big games – 2018 vs Boks in Wellington I recall in particular.

That being said, might be that given the challenges around 10 – we need that experience around 9 and one thing you do get with TJ is an absoulute competitor.

Thought Lancaster and Swinton were stand-out’s, tragic that Swinton is off overseas just when he seems to be getting his discipline in order and starting to show what he can offer at 6.

Then bar Hurricanes/Chiefs – thought whilst the games were exciting the quality was poor. Think we are really starting to see just how much depth and experience has being ripped out of Oz and NZ rugby past couple of years. In lot’s of way’s Super rugby feels like an U23 Comp with some senior players thrown in – Reihana was a good example and same with AJ Faleafaga – players with great potential but in years gone by – would not be getting anywhere near running the cutter for NZ Super Franchises.

Nothing we can do about this – but it used to be in years gone by that Super Rugby would prep players for International duty, now however both Wallabies and AB coaches will be asking themselves if that is now true. Because bar the odd game, alot of the games I am seeing now are starting to decline in quality to ITM cup level.

And that is not a great outcome for our respective national teams.

Crusaders bench prop’s not looking to bad either….

Rugby has never being a cleaner sports in regards foul play – what happened on Friday night shocked everyone because these types of incidents in professional rugby are few and far between.

Not hard to remember that’s it just in the 1990’s that we can recall Fitzpatrick having his ear chewed, Loe deciding he wanted to eye gouge one of his team mates and deciding that Paul Carozza’s nose needed adjusting.

So it’s far better for it – but on the other hand in terms of toughness – huge bodies, huge impacts and the requirements in fitness now – wow. Just have to look at the body shapes of the players now compared to 20 odd years ago, which tells it’s own story around rugby now.

So the game has never being cleaner but nor physically harder and that is a topic for another time – what type of game do we want – forward pack rolling off the replacement bench – 120/130kg players being replaced by a new set of 120/130Kg players or do we want introduce tiredness back into the game – more space as players get gassed etc.

Which in the long term is a far safer and probably much more interesting game dependent of course upon how you like your rugby served.

How exactly were his tackles cheap shot – considering 2 out of the 3 were deemed legal by Ref and TMO?

Those 2 tackles were perfect and what you are looking for in a 6, the one vs Lynagh was late and he was penalized – justly. Should also add – in all three tackles he wrapped and did not go near head/shoulders.

Jerry Collins and Kaino would have never played a game according to how some people view rugby now…

Can’t see how sticking the Rebels in outer Melbourne will work financially.

They have to generate enough income to cover player wages, support staff etc – so 5 odd million plus all the infrastructure costs associated/marketing etc – but all off the base of a 5k stadium and then potentially in the future 15k?

Running a Super Club is a quick way to bankruptcy it seems – noting that even a club like the Hurricanes booked a 1.5 Million loss last year, so hard to see how a club that would locate itself on the edge of Melbourne and probably reduce even poor crowd numbers to a lower number – can actually build a sustainable business case.

Tamati Tua is a Kiwi and the big problem is that he played ITM cup last year for Northland, this means his residency period kicks off from scratch – so 5 years till he can qualify for the Wallabies – so a long wait there!

And then Aumua – it was reported in NZ that the Rebels and RA went hard for Aumua and actually outbid the Crusaders for his services but he thought he was/is a chance for the AB’s and so decided to stick in NZ.

It was that reason that the Rebels picked up Matt Proctor – though get this, they outbid the Highlanders for his service. Which if anything shows how crazy Rugby is run in Oz – in that a club that was effectively insolvent outbid a NZ Super Club for a ex AB who was not qualified for Oz!

What I don’t understand is where exactly is the outrage that the Rebels organization has effectively taken money from their players to fund their day to day operations?

If anything, what they did was unethical and more importantly an indication that they should have called in the receivers months prior to when they actually did.

Do wonder if the likes of the ATO/ASIC will be looking very closely at the Rebels and the timeline of their decision making re: insolvency (Potential banning from holding Directorships?/other penalties) and then the big question – how much did RA actually know?

Only people to come out of this happy will be the lawyers!

Some fantastic young players coming through – not sure if I would play Whitelock now but coming off the bench and most importantly just being in the squad and giving leadership to the young locks feeding through would be great.

Eventfully could see him coming in as a specalist line-out coach.

Feel sorry for Robertson in alot of ways – when you look at the AB schedule (absoutely crazy in some ways) this year you can imagine them dropping a fair few games.

Northen tour is like the Wallabies one in 2022 – playing England, Ireland, France and Italy over consecutive weekends – that’s a harder schedule than the WC and they will be limping by that stage of the year – so Robertson would love having the likes of Whitelock available just in and around the squad.

It’s being discussed in the UK press as a done deal, would be great if not the case but I’m sure Crusaders fan’s know that he has quality back-up’s as shown in recent games.

Great to highlight the positives but sadly I just see the Super comp dropping in quality. Great in many ways to watch younger talent developing but when you have 20 year olds rolling out in numbers across the comp – tells it own story.

Yea think he must be qualified via Parent/G-Father route.

Smart by Scotland really – only doing what the rules allow them to and given Scottish immigration to Oz, NZ and SA – creates a ready pool of quality players for them to pick up for zero development cost.

Yip and remember that Cameron played for AB’s vs Jpn couple years ago.

Pretty slim pickings – McKenzie goes down injured and things get really interesting then I guess.