NZ Maori are Touring England!

In my opinion far cooler then the standard AI's the NZ Maori will be touring England as well. Below details are straight from an article here http://www.espnscrum.com/newzealand/rugby/story/169011.html

The Maori All Blacks will tackle Leicester Tigers, Canada and a RFU Championship Select XV on a three-game tour of the UK in November.

The New Zealand-based side, that claimed famous victories over Ireland and England during their centenary season in 2010, will arrive in England at the beginning of November and will tackle nine-time English champions Leicester in their opening game at Welford Road on Tuesday, November 13.

The squad will then travel north to take on a RFU Championship Select XV, headed up by Bedford Blues coach Mike Rayer, on Saturday, November 17 and finally Canada at Oxford University Sports Centre on Friday, November 23.

The RFU Championship XV will comprise entirely of English Qualified Players (EQP), and will take place during a fallow week for the second tier clubs with Liam Middleton (Bristol Rugby) and Diccon Edwards (Leeds Carnegie) set to assist Rayer.

Maori All Blacks UK Tour:
v Leicester Tigers, Tuesday, November 13, Welford Road (KO 1930)
v RFU Championship XV, Saturday, November 17, Castle Park (KO 1205)
v Canada, Friday, November 23, Oxford University Sports Centre (KO 1930)

I am massively jealous that Tigers get to play them and a little peed that it's not the current England Champions instead. The Championship XV should be interesting to see, potentially a few Premiership academy players in there as well?

I probably won't be seeing them live myself as all the matches are in the Midlands/North of the country but hopefully it'll be on TV. Hopefully this'll become a regular occurrence and maybe a few other teams will come over on these mini tours as well.

And a victory over the Lions in 2007.

You're thinking of 2005 there Laurie... In the past now!

yappysnap wrote:You're thinking of 2005 there Laurie... In the past now!

Jeez youre right, talk about living in the past....

You need to get over that and move on mate.

Any guesses at who we can expect to see selected for this Maori squad then Laurie? That 2010 side was scary good but a fair few of them are in the full AB team now.

Can anyone dig up a starting squad for Leicester. Have seen them play the odd game on teledporte. They've got a big Samoan winger, right? Any chance of a Leicester haka like at Munster?

Yappy
Just off the top of my head

If theyre not All Blacks::
Jane, Gear, Smith,Wipu,Dagg, Messam, Guliford.

But others would be like::
Robinson, Maitland, Elliott, Afeaki, Kerr-Barlow, Latimer,Kahui,Ellerson, and Andre taylor just to name some.

What sort of names will we be looking at in the squad then?

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Can anyone dig up a starting squad for Leicester. Have seen them play the odd game on teledporte. They've got a big Samoan winger, right? Any chance of a Leicester haka like at Munster?

"Barney" WaLdrum and Craig Newby and Dan Bowden would be up for a Haka..

Whoops, bit late there, thanks laurie

aucklandlaurie wrote:

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Can anyone dig up a starting squad for Leicester. Have seen them play the odd game on teledporte. They've got a big Samoan winger, right? Any chance of a Leicester haka like at Munster?

"Barney" WaLdrum and Craig Newby and Dan Bowden would be up for a Haka..

He's English now isn't he?

gowales wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Can anyone dig up a starting squad for Leicester. Have seen them play the odd game on teledporte. They've got a big Samoan winger, right? Any chance of a Leicester haka like at Munster?

"Barney" WaLdrum and Craig Newby and Dan Bowden would be up for a Haka..

He's English now isn't he?

He's played no more games for England than I have.

You're talking about Thomas Waldrom aren't you?

http://www.rfu.com/squadsandplayers/englandelite/thomaswaldrom

aucklandlaurie wrote:

gowales wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Can anyone dig up a starting squad for Leicester. Have seen them play the odd game on teledporte. They've got a big Samoan winger, right? Any chance of a Leicester haka like at Munster?

"Barney" WaLdrum and Craig Newby and Dan Bowden would be up for a Haka..

He's English now isn't he?

He's played no more games for England than I have.

True. But as he's been in the England squad for a major tournament (the RWC) he's tied to England under the current IRB regs.

He played on the summer tour didn't he??? Or am I going mad...

yappysnap wrote:He played on the summer tour didn't he??? Or am I going mad...

I wasn't sure (and couldn't be bothered checking). Even going on the summer tour would have tied him to England if he wasn't already.

yappysnap wrote:He played on the summer tour didn't he??? Or am I going mad...

Yeah, he played in one of SA Barbarians games. Scored a couple of tries too.

sugarNspikes wrote:

yappysnap wrote:He played on the summer tour didn't he??? Or am I going mad...

Yeah, he played in one of SA Barbarians games. Scored a couple of tries too.

I could swear he came off the bench in one or two of the tests

gowales wrote:

sugarNspikes wrote:

yappysnap wrote:He played on the summer tour didn't he??? Or am I going mad...

Yeah, he played in one of SA Barbarians games. Scored a couple of tries too.

I could swear he came off the bench in one or two of the tests

He may have done. I can't remember!

To be fair it wasn't an England first XV

Should be good, its always fun when the Maoris come to town, I wish they would play in Ireland though

I think the RFU championship and Canada games are a bit odd. Can't see many people going to watch either of those.

gowales wrote:You're talking about Thomas Waldrom aren't you?

http://www.rfu.com/squadsandplayers/englandelite/thomaswaldrom

Yes we are, Its like a race horse having a stable name, its only the media that call him Thomas the tank.
His brother's called Scooter.

gowales wrote:I think the RFU championship and Canada games are a bit odd. Can't see many people going to watch either of those.

I couldnt imagine many Welsh people going to them either.

Where is "up north" and "Castle Park" Leeds?

Dontheman wrote:Where is "up north" and "Castle Park" Leeds?

Doncaster

Aside from the Tigers games its a rather odd tour all round. Id love to hear the thinking behind the fixtures (Ok Canada is decent opposition but crowd? and did they not realise the English championship is a bit different to the SH one?) and where they are being held.

Sea Biscuit

I think with the Canada one its as much about taking Canada to the World and taking Canadian rugby (with the use of a UK broadcaster) across all of Canada. It just works better being done in England.

Its probably the same as the way we in New Zealand are of more assistance to Samoan rugby by supporting, publicising, and selling it from Auckland than Apia.