I went through all the names in the country that I thought were at this level and I came out with 77 names of my own that were both from Year 13 and 12 players. I put them all into positions that I thought that they would be best suited for and where they would be able to play that position at Rep rugby level as well as at Club rugby level. Every year it is hard to pull the best players because there is so much talent around the country and even in those smaller schools that you want to find a spot for everyone but you just cant.
I looked at the Barbarian side and saw that it needed to be one that was tough, very physical, very intimidating, active and needed to be non-stop attacking from different angles and with different setups. The players I looked at to fulfill these roles first were Tevita Hala because he plays at speed and mixes up a game and setups and always shows attack in his normal play. I then looked at Paula Mahe at 2nd 5/8 because his crash ball game is amazing, accurate, painful to watch when you see tacklers shaking their arms and rotating their shoulders trying to get some feeling back after a tackle. Terrell Peita and Malupo Maafu in a loose forward trio that is packed with leadership by action first, very good communication skills and at the same time they throw everything into their runs and tackles. Jack Rose and also Millennium Sanerivi who are both solid working front rowers that dont stop working to get to the ball. I went to these players first and started to look at combos Tevita and James Arscott to me just fit and with Ish Perkins being able to cover both 9 and 10 the speed and organization of the game will always be intact. James is use to playing with so many good players around him and he wont get lost in the speed of the game. Ish is another player that plays with pace and is very good attacking around the edges when defences get to far ahead of the running play. They can all also play a good kicking game system that they will be able to put to work their wingers and fullback and turn that kick into offence. Ish, Tevita and James will be a great fit together and will be able to work together in any situation.
I really liked Paula as a pivot point in his back line where he’ll spark go forward ball and movement up the field and so I thought well Lukas Halls and his school team mate midfield Center PJ Latu would both be good fits because for obvious reasons, PJ knows exactly how to play with Paula and reads his movements and space he creates. Valynce Crosby-Te Whare would be the other one because he can play like Lukas Halls both being very solid runners and can crash when needed to but also can give the ball along and read the games momentum and not get caught up with trying to just score tries. Even if you had to change it up and have Valynce and Lukas or Valynce and PJ the work stays the same and the system will hold strong on offence and on defence as well. Jamahl Hapi and Selestino Ravutaumada would make great wingers with real speed, good hands and timing, they can create plays on their own and also they defend very strongly when it comes to down field kicks and covering space or if its just a one on one tackle. Them on their own talents is great but then you add a player like Ryan Barns to that mix and you add his vision when returning the ball finding gaps and exposing bad tacklers this back 3 can be very dangerous. Ryan always plays with a lot of speed and that is right there with Tino who is a sprinter as well and so you could see that match up being one you cant let slip through.
Like I mentioned having some massive attacking players who are just very intimidating and aggressive like Malupo and Terrell, I also wanted to add Andrew Vaiane to that list and he has to be one of the best ball runners in the country and is not an easy player to stop. Andrew could come on after half time and really get the game going early on with just one run to catch the defence still trying to wake up after half time. Andrew is going to make some massive runs this year and will be a highlight clip on his own. Malupo and Terrell get physical in tackles but I also wanted an open side that just hunts for tackles and Dylan Hall is close to the best in the country and so he is in this team. He just goes about his business and shuts down plays. Taituha Woller is another player that just gets right into the work and makes sure that he comes away with something. Sam Darry and Braeydn Collins are the only Lock height players in the team but Terrell can also be lifted as well as Malupo and so they do have some help. They will be there for their work around the rucks, taking some hit ups and making tackles. Braeydn runs like an open side is fit and fat and so he’ll add his talents to that role as well on defence. One thing i do love is the massive front row in this team and the big boys that bring so much power, grind, aggressiveness and determination. Keelan Holten-McMullen was a player I thought could be in that NZSS because his scrumming is massive and he is very very fit and strong. Tevita Kofeloa is another beast that is a hard object to move off his place and his hitting power is off the charts and add the pace and work rate of a Jordan Macfarlane the only Year 12 player in the team and you can see how these prop’s can really make a difference in a pack like this. Jacob Payne and Mills are the Hookers and they play that role of enforcer type players and get into the face of their opponents making plays on defence and really making them work around the rucks.
1. Keelan Holten-McMullen (Hamilton BHS)
2. Millennium Sanerivi (King’s College)
3. Jack Rose (St Andrews College)
4. Sam Darry (Christ College)
5. Braeydn Collins (Rosmini College)
6. Malupo Maafu (Rotorua BHS)
7. Dylan Hall (Gisborne BHS)
8. Terrell Peita (MAGS) (C)
9. James Arscott (Otago BHS)
10. Tevita Hala (Dilworth School)(VC)
11. Selestino Ravutaumada (Rotorua BHS)
12. Paula Mahe (St Peters School Cambridge)
13. Lukas Halls (Kings College)
14. Jamahl Hapi (New Plymouth BHS)
15. Ryan Barnes (Christchurch BHS)
16. Jacob Payne (Southland BHS)
17. Jordan Macfarlane (Gisborne BHS) Y12
18. Tevita Kofeloa (Manurewa HS)
19. Andrew Vaiane (St Peters School)
20. Taituha Woller (Te Wharekurao Mauao)
21. Ish Perkins (Wellington College)
22. Valynce Crosby-Te Whare (St Pauls Collegiate)
23. PJ Latu (St Peters School)
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