Air New Zealand Cup (NPC) 2008 - Discussion and Prediction League

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Hi guys,

The NPC is nearly here for another year, so its time to discuss what's going to happen this time around.

I've also set up a CricketWeb ladder on the wonderful tipping website, SuperBru.

Follow the instructions below to join the league and start tipping.

Sadly, I think Wellington are going to struggle this year. Their best non-All Black players have all moved on (Collins, Paku) and even Jimmy Gopperth has left... Auckland once again look the team to beat, and its hard to go past the expectation of an Auckland vs. Canterbury final.

Hoping that the Hawke's Bay boys can keep a high standard this year and also expecting further improvement from the Manawatu. Bay of Plenty are my prediction for bottom of the league.

Come join my pool in SuperBru Air New Zealand Cup, the ultimate Air New Zealand Cup prediction game! It's easy - just go to the website and enter the pool code barndata to join my pool, CricketWeb.

Website: http://www.superbru.com/airnzcup
Pool code: barndata

 

[whitedazzler]

its kicking off today week so should be good, strange to see 2 thursday night matches

 

[Somerset]

The Thursday night matches were pretty successful from what I can recall last year. Worked much better than two Friday night games with one starting at 6pm anyway.

Will be interesting with so few All Blacks in the competition - at least last year had more of the likes of Rico Gear floating around.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

So far only Heath and the Only_Vimes_That_Bites are signed up to the Superbru Picks League - come on guys, sign up!

 

[BoyBrumby]

I've just applied to join the CW league & have arbitrarily decided to register as a Waikato fan in honour of Fiery (RIP).

The picks being final is a bit stiff tho, but.

 

[_Ed_]

I've just applied to join the CW league & have arbitrarily decided to register as a Waikato fan in honour of Fiery (RIP).

Do you own a cowbell? Appears to be mandatory for Waikato fans. Peculiar lot.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Do you own a cowbell? Appears to be mandatory for Waikato fans. Peculiar lot.

No, we're more of a pig-rearing () area, really.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Do you own a cowbell? Appears to be mandatory for Waikato fans. Peculiar lot.

Ah, the cowbells. Staple of Norwegian handball crowds too.

Going to try and watch a bit of this. Have online coverage of almost every match, though they seem to be on while I'm at work. Going for Hawke's Bay as they seem to be on the up, aren't a city squad with oodles of money, and aren't southern.

 

[_Ed_]

Good choice, the Magpies would be my next choice after whichever of Auckland and North Harbour is doing better. (Nah, I strongly support Harbour until the point at which it becomes obvious that it once again isn't our year, then I move on to Auckland).

Big fan of the Bay.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I'd like to see Hawke's Bay do well - they've got a load of good players that the big provinces either rejected out of hand, or dismissed due to injury problems. Bergqvist and Shoemark are top players. They've also recruited youngsters well AND have succeeded in looking after the balance sheet - something that Tasman and Bay of Plenty have failed to do spectacularly.

Also looking for Manawatu to spring a surprise or two due to their fan base and decent management team.

 

[_Ed_]

They were winless last season weren't they? Hope they get one on the board this time around.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

They were winless last season weren't they? Hope they get one on the board this time around.

Nah. I think they did get a win on the board last year, didn't they? But they hadn't won before (maybe they got a draw last year). Consistantly get good turn outs in Palmy though - I was thinking about going up to watch Manawatu vs. Wellington and watch an NPC game with a full house of 10k rather than an empty stadium at the Westpac shared with 5,000 hardy Wellingtonians.

 

[_Ed_]

Oh they did too, 2 in fact. My mistake. You're right, it was 2006.

Counties Manukau, on the other hand...

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I've just applied to join the CW league & have arbitrarily decided to register as a Waikato fan in honour of Fiery (RIP).

The picks being final is a bit stiff tho, but.

You can leave it to the last minute - it will e-mail you a reminder. Personally, I think Superbru is the pinnacle of tipping websites - you get graphs, bonus points for hitting the margin, bonus points for tipping the whole round, bonus points for closest to the correct margin. And it looks good!!

Oh they did too, 2 in fact. My mistake. You're right, it was 2006.

Counties Manukau, on the other hand...

Counties are a young side though, and should improve over the next 2 or 3 years if they can hang on to the good ones. Bay of Plenty are a bunch of overpaid Waikato rejects (although Daniel Braid's kid brother is one to look out for there this year).

Also, expecting this to be much closer overall this year. The Big Four have lost a lot of big name players. Hawke's Bay are about the only team who look to have improved on paper. The boys from Nastings (or Hapier) could make the final.

Oh - and Join Superbru, Ed. You know you want to!

 

[Smudge]

I'd like to see Hawke's Bay do well - they've got a load of good players that the big provinces either rejected out of hand, or dismissed due to injury problems. Bergqvist and Shoemark are top players. They've also recruited youngsters well AND have succeeded in looking after the balance sheet - something that Tasman and Bay of Plenty have failed to do spectacularly.

I'd like to see Hawke's Bay NOT do well, otherwise I'll never hear the end of it from the other two guys in our quartet of desks.

I'll understandably be backing Otago - we'll be adequate up front (hopefully the very quick tighthead Jeremy Aldworth will get through the season fit), rather dominant in the second row (Donnelly, Kennedy leading the way), average in the loosies although Setephano will be handy if he's fit soon.

Backline will at least be experienced for a change - a few guys in the backline now have a fair bit of Super 14 under their belt, and the acquisition of Daniel Bowden will help our backs run smoothly, although I'd like to see Chris Noakes get a bit of time.

I'll sign up at some stage, Heafy.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I'd like to see Hawke's Bay NOT do well, otherwise I'll never hear the end of it from the other two guys in our quartet of desks.

Hahaha! Of course, of course. What is it with Hawke's Bay Rejects coming down to Wellington anyway. I reckon about 25% of the total staff are from Hastings, another 10% from Waipukurau, another 10% from Napier and the remainder from the Taranaki. Not many North Otago fans around, for sure.

Otago are another team who've lost a fair number of good players. I'm not sure they have enough strength in depth to perform consistantly, and they'll miss Adam Thomson when he's away on All Blacks duty. Big game first up for Otago, away at Southland.

Interesting that there's a few Argies come over for this season, and who's that Sharks prop that Hawke's Bay have signed up? Not sure that the pack's really where The Bay needed strengthening. I'm still laughing about Jimmy Gopperth being sent away on loan to North Harbour. Very amusing.

 

[_Ed_]

Oh - and Join Superbru, Ed. You know you want to!

After a period of deep contemplation, I decided that yes I do indeed want to.

 

[Smudge]

Otago squad for Air NZ Cup

Jason Macdonald (Dunedin), Peter Mirrielees(Harbour), Jed Vercoe (Southern), Keith Cameron (Dunedin), Jeremy Aldworth (University A), Ben Nolan (Harbour), Ross Kennedy (Pirates), Seko Qaraniqio (Kaikorai), Tom Donnelly (Matakanui Combined), Craig Newby (captain, Dunedin), Hoani Matenga (University A), Eben Joubert(Harbour), Uili Kolo'ofai (Southern), Steven Setephano (vice-captain, Zingari Richmond), Paul Grant (University A), Sean Romans (University A), Toby Morland (Kaikorai), Daniel Bowden (Dunedin), Chris Noakes(University A), Dan Snee (University A), Aaron Bancroft (Harbour), Brett Mather (University A), Lucky Mulipola (Southern), Karne Hesketh (Alhambra-Union), Ben Smith (Green Island), Glen Horton (Harbour).


http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/rugby/14791/rugby-otago-looking-go-mobile-cup-competition

From that, I'd go with a starting team (no injuries considered):

15: Horton/Smith
14: Hesketh
13: Mather
12: Bancroft
11: Mulipola
10: Bowden
9: Morland
8: Setephano
7: Newby
6: Qaraniqio/Kolo'ofai
5: Donnelly
4: Kennedy
3: Nolan (maybe after a game or two - has made a huge comeback from injury after showing promise in 2003)
2: Macdonald
1: Cameron

16: Mirrielees
17: Aldworth
18: Qaraniqio/Kolo'ofai
19: Matenga
20: Romans
21: Noakes
22: Horton/Smith

Looks alright to me - the backs look to at least have a few caps under their belts nowadays, while that tight five won't be disgraced.

 

[Flem274*]

Hoping Taranaki go well. The fowards will be excellent as usual and the backs will be good in certain places but are too limited to counter the top sides. We finally have a First Five-Eighth that actualy has ability since Brock James though. Would be nice if Wellington and everybody else would return their stolen Taranaki players though. Chris Masoe, Luke McCallister and Conrad Smith would have been handy in particualar, though hasn't McCallister left NZ? I'm losing track of all the players leaving.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Hoping Taranaki go well. The fowards will be excellent as usual and the backs will be good in certain places but are too limited to counter the top sides. We finally have a First Five-Eighth that actualy has ability since Brock James though. Would be nice if Wellington and everybody else would return their stolen Taranaki players though. Chris Masoe, Luke McCallister and Conrad Smith would have been handy in particualar, though hasn't McCallister left NZ? I'm losing track of all the players leaving.

Yeah, playing for Sale Sharks up here now.