Mangonui player selected
Jurlina to tour with Croatian team
Fantastic news for Mangonui Rugby. Hayden Jurlina, a five year veteran for Eastern United, was selected last week for a short two match tour with the Croatian team. A flanker with vast experience, Hayden will front up against the Ukraine in Zagreb and an away match in Sweden.
He was first noticed as a prominent player in 2015 making the Northland U19 side. From 2016-2018 he was part of the Northland B high performance squad. He was first selected for the Croatian team in 2017 but had to withdraw due to injury.
A Northland trialist in 2019 for the NPC side, he played in several Mangonui sub-union matches.
He has been a fringe player for Northland for a number of years.
Hayden will be accompanied overseas by his parents David and Nada.
No doubt Dave, a successful senior coach, will have some input when the team runs on to the paddock.
Wallabies thrashed
The Wallabies were thrashed 14-40 by the All Blacks last Saturday. Their performance was below test standard with poor discipline and at least 15 handling mishaps.
Here was a team which was robbed of the Bledisloe Cup in Melbourne and should have been ready to show the All Blacks how rugby is really played. However the ABs took control from the whistle and that was it. There was never the feeling that they would crack and allow the Aussies a sniff of success.
Dave Rennie took last week’s loss in Melbourne hard and wanted his side to do even better and break the hoodoo of playing on Eden Park. They failed to do so and now their fantastic performance in Melbourne means nothing.
Now the All Blacks are off to Europe where they will front up to England and France in November.
English rugby commentator Stuart Barnes is labelling the All Blacks as dangerous, so much so that they can beat any side in the world. However he feels that the French and the English will present them with more problems than a ramshackle, injury riddled set of Wallaby forwards.
Incredible Woodman
You’ve got to give it to Black Fern Portia Woodman who scored seven tries when the team demolished Japan 95-12.
Under new coach Wayne Smith the Black Ferns have notched up six test wins in succession. This is quite incredible after big losses to England and France last year plus a damning cultural report and the resignation of coach Glenn Moore.
The question has to be asked, what is the merit in this blowout against a very weak Japanese team just a week away from defending the world cup? There was no opposition to the point where Japan would have probably been easily beaten in a match against Rarawa.
Tasman loss bitter blow
Northland got the real treatment from Tasman, beaten 52-17 last Sunday. They have kissed goodbye to their chances of making the top four for the NPC championship.
The loss is a bitter blow for coach George Konia who has achieved some outstanding results. The concerning factor in the loss to Tasman was the lack of aggression and commitment.
I feel the replacing of halfback Sam Knock in the second half really destroyed Northland. This guy is a super player and has been playing incredible rugby. He is an 80-minute man.
And that’s how Mat sees it.