Chiefs in warrior mode
31 Jan 2006
The Chiefs, so often the punching bag among the New Zealand Vodacom Super 14 teams, have put together a side capable of making the punches in this year’s competition.
Chiefs coach Ian Foster showed his hand when he named a near full strength starting XV for Thursday’s warm-up against the Hurricanes.
All Blacks Sitiveni Sivivatu and Byron Kelleher get their first starts, while Auckland recruits Mils Muliaina and Sam Tuitupou make up a potent back division. Grand Slam-winning All Black Sione Lauaki and All Blacks Steve Bates, Marty Holah and Tom Willis boost the pack. Another All Black, utility back Sosene Anesi, is on the bench.
CHIEFS: 15Mils Muliaina, 14 Anthony Tahana, 13 Mark Ranby, 12 Sam Tuitupou, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Sione Lauaki, 7 Marty Holah, 6 Steve Bates, 5 Bernie Upton, 4 Mark Sorenson, 3 Ben Castle, 2 Tom Willis, 1 Deacon Manu. Subs: Simms Davison, Aleki Lutui, Sam Biddles, Kristian Ormsby, Liam Messam, Nili Latu, Stephen Setephano, Jamie Nutbrown, Loki Crichton, Niva Ta’auso, Richard Kahui, Lelia Masaga, Sosene Anesi and Murray Williams.
12 Comments
1 Feb 2006, 04:07 am
“Punch-bag”?
Well, just how often did those Waikato Chiefs occupy the twelfth and last spot in an entire decade of Super 12 rugby?
Never?
So how are they possibly the “punch-bags”? That is a title that squarely belongs to the Bulls! Nobody has ever come absolutely stone cold last as often as what the Bulls have! And the Bulls stone-cold lastness was never more comprehensive than under the coaching of sad-sack Heineken Mayor who failed to win as much as single game, either home or away, in the early part of his career as head coach!
1 Feb 2006, 07:15 am
who is starting on the left wing?
1 Feb 2006, 07:39 am
If you care to read the thing Tackles you will note the bit that said ‘of the NZ teams’ but then why let an opportunity go past due to some facts!
1 Feb 2006, 07:58 am
Tacklers bitterness knows no end, driving him to new highs in stupidity.
He travels the road alone, often spewing forth posts late into the night, alone and homeless, no one to turn to and certainly no country to call home.
He will forever be a buitelander, accepted by no one.
His posts make sense if you take this angle.
1 Feb 2006, 08:01 am
it doesn’t take much for you guys to bite.
1 Feb 2006, 08:09 am
Yeah but BrumbyIV i think hes like the local village idiot, you cant help but pay attention to him, because you just know hell come out with something even more stupid than before.
1 Feb 2006, 08:14 am
in other words you can’t live without him.
1 Feb 2006, 08:52 am
Its nice to have Tackles as a a punch bag – helps relieve the morning pre-coffee stress…
1 Feb 2006, 09:58 am
Seeing as there are five NZ sides, when the Chiefs fail to break it into the top four ( Super 12 semifinalists) they are underachievers.
When ANY South African team flukes it and makes it as far as the top-four semifinals, such as the Bulls in 2005, they are regarded as over-achievers merely for cracking it into the semis!
Of course, actually WINNING the whole bloody shooting match is seen as pretty much unimaginable, even though the Canterbury Crusaders have already done so FIVE times and the Auckland Blues have done so THREE times already!
1 Feb 2006, 10:09 am
you see BrumbyIV within an hour he makes another DOOS comment we can all laugh at. You have to pay for this type of entertaiment on most sites lol.
1 Feb 2006, 10:56 am
But that so-called “doos” comment also happens to be 100% true!
And that fact annoys the stuffing out of the bumptious South Africans who year after year come out with their biggest of big pre-season brags and routinely end up with absolutely bugger-all!
1 Feb 2006, 12:25 pm
i dont see any bumptious south africans making any pre-season brags, if anything i’ve seen most arguing that one of the SA teams will go down at the end of the yeqr and alot of credit being given to the western force despite a pre-season loss to the Cheetahs.
stick to the facts son.
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