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Otago Daily Times
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Sides eager to knock Wellington off perch
The NPC gets under way tonight when Auckland host Waikato. Adrian Seconi takes a look at the teams. WELLINGTON Last year: Champions. The oil: The Lions set the benchmark with eight wins from 10 in the regular season. They were pushed hard in the semifinals by Waikato (29-24) and in the final by Bay of Plenty (23-20). But they held their composure and have most of the same crew back for 2025. Midfielder Riley Higgins and loose forward Peter Lakai had standout seasons and shape as threats again. Halfback Kyle Preston is another key figure. BAY OF PLENTY Last year: Runners-up. The oil: Steamers loose forward Joe Johnston (184) and Nikora Broughton (183) led the tackle count last year, and first five Kaleb Trask kept them in the right part of the park. Naitoa Ah Kuoi was a key figure in the lineout, while former Taieri fullback Taine Craig-Ranga made two appearances for the Steamers in 2024 and has made the squad again. CANTERBURY Last year: Beaten semifinalists. The oil: Unrivalled depth if they could get their All Blacks on the paddock. Even without them, Canterbury still have some game-breakers, particularly in the backs, where Braydon Ennor, Dallas McLeod and Chay Fihaki will loiter waiting for opportunities. They will be fielding relatively fresh combinations at first five and halfback that could take some time to establish. WAIKATO Last year: Beaten semifinalists. The oil: The Mooloos have a settled look and will lean on Aaron Cruden to get them one game further this season. They have also secured the services of former All Black Lima Sopoaga. Young loose forward Oli Mathis was one of the most exciting players to emerge last season and he showed astonishing versatility. Waikato were so ravaged by injury that he stepped up and played the last three games on the wing. TARANAKI Last year: Eliminated in quarterfinals. The oil: The 2023 champions had a strong campaign but were narrowly tipped out in the quarterfinals by Waikato. They have the Ranfurly Shield, though, and a team list chock-full of talent again. Hooker Ricky Riccitelli is one of the more effective players for the Bulls and nabbed a team-high eight tries. And watch out for Highlanders fullback Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens. TASMAN Last year: Eliminated in quarterfinals. The oil: Blockbusting outside back Leicester Fainga'anuku is returning for the Mako and he will make their backline infinitely more dangerous. They have also signed promising first five Harry Inch, powerful Australian utility forward Lopeti Faifua and Moana Pasifika hooker Tomasi Maka. Canterbury halfback Mitchell Drummond has made the move as well. HAWKE'S BAY Last year: Eliminated in quarterfinals. The oil: Moana Pasifika blindside Miracle Fai'ilagi and Māori All Black utility back Zarn Sullivan will play for the Magpies. Sullivan is on loan from Auckland and Fai'ilagi's bruising game will be a welcome addition. The Magpies were edged 19-17 in the quarterfinals by rival Bay of Plenty. COUNTIES-MANUKAU Last year: Eliminated in quarterfinals. The oil: No-one wanted to play the Steelers towards the end of the season. They started with four consecutive losses but charged up the ladder and into the playoffs, where they were beaten 29-14 by the eventual champions. Powerhouse No8 Hoskins Sotutu shapes as a key figure again. OTAGO Last year: Ninth. The oil: Missed the playoffs by a couple of bonus points. But it was the costly 45-17 loss to Counties-Manukau that sank their prospects. Looked good in a warm-up game against Southland. Winger Jona Nareki has recovered from a knee injury but Oliver Haig will miss the first month of the competition, and exciting fullback Finn Hurley is out for up to two months. Halfback Dylan Pledger is a very promising player. NORTH HARBOUR Last year: 10th. The oil: Former Steelers coach Jimmy Maher has taken over the reins and his first job is to sort out their lineout troubles and defensive leaks. They can score, though. Winger Mark Tele'a appears set for a full campaign unless he gets a call back from the All Blacks. Outside back Kade Banks was the competition's leading try-scorer, bagging 10. All Blacks loose forward Wallace Sititi might pop up late in the season if he is fully fit. AUCKLAND Last year: 11th. The oil: Auckland started with four consecutive losses and rounded out their campaign with three more losses. There was not much to celebrate. They have signed former Otago halfback James Arscott, Stephen Perofeta has transferred from Taranaki, and former New Zealand under-20 player Leo Gordon and Highlanders back-up lock Tai Cribb have joined the squad. SOUTHLAND Last year: 12th. The oil: Former Canterbury halfback Nic Shearer has made the move south and the Stags will be captained by Sean Withy again. Burly No 8 Semisi Tupou-Ta'eiloa is a strong ball-carrier. The Stags will struggle to make the playoffs. But as long as they beat Otago in round one, all will be well in Invercargill. Look out for development player Mika Muliaina. The Southlander has impressed in Dunedin club rugby this season and the young first five has all the skills to take his game to the next level. NORTHLAND Last year: 13th. The oil: They challenge Taranaki for the Ranfurly Shield in the opening round and they have not held it aloft since 1978. The Taniwha have a light splattering of talent, but the playoffs seem unlikely. That makes game one all or nothing. First five Rivez Reihana will lead the team around. MANAWATŪ Last year: Last. The oil: The Turbos have the silliest nickname in the competition. They are also based in Palmerston North. That's two strikes. Loose forwards TK Howden and Brayden Iose will give the pack some go-forward and Brett Cameron is an experienced first five. Highlanders fill-in Taniela Filimone is a strong runner.
Wales Online
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Wales discover Welsh-qualified New Zealand rugby stars and giant South African prop
Wales discover Welsh-qualified New Zealand rugby stars and giant South African prop Wales' exiles programme had identified some intriguing new names before being disbanded recently Hurricanes centre Riley Higgins is thought to be Welsh qualified (Image: Getty Images ) A couple of weeks ago the Welsh Rugby Union took the difficult decision to cut its Exiles programme. The WRU have replaced it with a system it feels is better placed to persuade the best Welsh-qualified players in England and beyond to represent Wales at senior international level. Whether this new system will be successful or not remains to be seen but the old exiles programme did play a big part in unearthing Welsh qualified players outside of Wales, from Will Rowlands to Nick Tompkins, among others. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Prior to the disbandment of the programme the Exiles had a number of players they were trying to persuade to go down the Welsh route or were at least investigating believed Welsh links. Here are a handful of Welsh-qualified players who should styill be on the WRU's radar. Riley Higgins The 22-year-old New Zealander plays for Super Rugby Pacific outfit the Hurricanes while he has also figured for the Wellington Lions in the Bunnings NPC. Article continues below Higgins can play 12 and 13 while he has also accrued minutes out on the wing but has only played four times this season in Super Rugby after breaking his leg. He is highly thought of in New Zealand rugby circles and made his Super Rugby debut before playing any NPC rugby, while he has also represented New Zealand U20s and an All Blacks XV. Higgins is an explosive centre who regularly breaks the line while he also possesses an excellent offloading game. He is believed to qualify for Wales through his grandmother and is another high quality player who should be monitored. Tahlor Cahill The 21-year-old has enjoyed plenty of game time for the Crusaders in Super Rugby Pacific this season making nine appearances and was a replacement in last Saturday's 32-12 victory over the Queensland Reds. Cahill is an athletic forward, who can play at lock and the backrow, is an excellent lineout forward who is also a powerful carrier capable of making significant post contact metres. The Crusaders lock qualifies for Wales through a grandparent and was on the Exiles' radar. He has also represented New Zealand U20s and is highly rated by All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson, meaning Wales are up against it. But Cahill is already a high quality player who looks destined to play Test rugby so should be targeted as a potential option by Warren Gatland's long-term successor. Tahlor Cahil of the Crusaders (Image: 2025 Getty Images ) Josh Penney The 21-year-old outside-half was a member of the Waikato Chiefs academy but has been playing for Counties Manukau in the Bunnings NPC. It is thought he qualifies for Wales through his Welsh mother and is another player who was included in the Exiles' database. Wales have some real talent coming through the system at outside-half with the likes of Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, Math Jones, Harri Wilde, Harri Ford and Lloyd Lucas while both senior number tens Sam Costelow and Dan Edwards are very young. But Wales needs to build as much depth as it can and the same can be said for its four professional clubs - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets. Kaleb Kriek The 21-year-old South African tighthead packs a serious punch at 6ft 4in and 140kg. Kriek is Welsh qualified through his mother and is part of the Blue Bulls academy. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free It will come as no surprise to readers that Kriek had a reputation at age grade level of being a destructive scrummager while those who have seen him play also compliment his ball carrying. Tighthead prop is not exactly an area of strength in Welsh rugby, with Wales having struggled to replace the experienced Tomas Francis. Just because a prop is 140kg doesn't automatically mean he will cut it as a professional but given the dearth of high quality scrummaging tightheads in Wales somebody like Kriek is worth looking at. Robert Carmichael The 22-year-old second-row was born in Hong Kong to a Scottish father and a Welsh mother but moved back to the UK in 2019. Carmichael was a member of the Leicester Tigers academy and represented England U20s before making the move north to join Edinburgh in 2024. At 6ft 11in and 125kg Carmichael packs a physical punch and is an outstanding lineout forward who has played for the Emerging Scotland side. But he remains Welsh qualified and one of Wales' professional clubs could do far worse than signing Carmichael if he was willing. Beau Farrance The 24-year-old English-born tighthead has been a regular starter for Agen in the French PRO D2 but is believed to be Welsh qualified. Farrance is a powerful scrummager in a league which puts a huge emphasis on the set-piece. He started his rugby journey at Old Elthamians RFC before moving to France. Farrance is now in the Joueurs Issus des Filières de Formation (JIFF) category, which is very important for players wishing to get a professional contract in France. To become JIFF qualified, players must spend five years playing age grade rugby at any French club or spend three season's with a French professional club's academy by the age of 23. He's certainly a player the Welsh clubs should be monitoring. Kienan Higgins The 25-year-old is the older brother of Riley Higgins and also plays centre. Higgins senior plays his rugby for Hawke's Bay Magpies in the Bunnings NPC and is a solid performer at that level who looks capable of playing professional rugby in Europe if given the chance. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. Robbie Deans and Mikey Jones Robbie Deans is a 20-year-old loosehead who is part of the Glasgow Warriors academy and has represented Scotland U20s. He is thought to have Welsh qualifications on his mother's side. Article continues below Mikey Jones is also a prop but plays for Edinburgh and also qualifies for Wales.
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Hurricanes lose Riley Higgins to broken leg for Super Rugby season
Riley Higgins poses for a photo with fans. Photo: Masanori Udagawa The Hurricanes have lost midfielder Riley Higgins for the rest of the Super Rugby Pacific season, with the team revealing the midfielder played on a broken leg during last week's win over the Highlanders. "He's actually broken his leg, we just found out last night," coach Clark Laidlaw said. "He managed to play 25 minutes with a leg injury that's going to put him out of the season. "He's going to be joining Brayden [Iose] out of the team for the rest of the year." Higgins has a lower leg fracture, while Iose was ruled out of the rest of the season on Wednesday with an ankle injury. Riley Higgins has a lower leg fracture. Photo: Mark Evans/ActionPress Both injuries are big blows to a Hurricanes seeking to secure a place in the playoffs with two rounds remaining. They face the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday and host Moana Pasifika next week. Laidlaw said losing Higgins was a hit they do without. "He was playing well," he said. "Tough start to the year with a broken hand or thumb. "Tough for him and we need to get around him. He's in a moonboot for the next six weeks. "It's disappointing for him and for us." However, the coach is confident Peter Umaga-Jensen will fill the hole left in the Hurricanes backline. "Peter had a really good start to the year and he's in form, so it's another opportunity for him to come back. It's been a tight selection [in the midfield] over the last couple of weeks and Peter brings different attributes, which we think compliments Billy [Proctor] in the midfield. so we're excited to see him get another crack." While Higgins and Iose are out, loose forward Devan Flanders is back from a broken leg. A win over the Reds this weekend would likely seal the Hurricanes place in the top six playoffs, but they have their eyes on a top-four finish. "It's a real opportunity to try and put ourselves in fourth," Laidlaw said. "With the way the competition works, if you get to a quarter-final in fourth versus third and you were to lose, and one and two seeds win, there's a lifeline there if it's needed, so we want to chase that as hard as we can. "We certainly feel like we have been playing well. Since the Blues game, we've had a draw and won the rest of the games. "We're far happier with the way we're playing, but playing the Reds in Brisbane, maybe they've lost one game here. It's a tough place to come, a lot of teams struggle up here." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
26-04-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Super Rugby Pacific: Hurricanes triumph over Brumbies
The Hurricanes' Riley Higgins (file photo). Photo: Mark Evans/ActionPress The Canes went into the match in desperate territory as they approach the Super Rugby Pacific play-offs, but have stormed through the tough assignment in the Australian capital. The Brumbies were at third on the table before the meet, and had hoped to lock in home advantage. See how the match unfolded:
