My TOP 200 Year 11 Team

(This team is based on a concept of young talent and it’s not real. Money, Travel and Time does not play a roll in this scenario so don’t ask those questions)

Now if you didn’t know, I do this every year. I think a great way to see the best players coming through is to find out who the Year 11’s are that have made their 1st XV. Year 11 is a great year to be if your looking at being a strong 1st XV player, you get an extra year of training with the older better players, get use to the speed and physical side of things and also just the extra experience. So this is a fictional team that I WOULD select if I could choose a All – Year 11 team and play a full year of 1st XV rugby and choose the teams I would play against and see what teams I could beat. So I will choose my team explain why I choose the players I do and then set a schedule and you pick how much games I would win.

1. Fatongia Paea (Sacred Heart)
2. Tyrone Thomas (Napier BHS)
3. Chris Hemi (St Pats Silverstream)
4. Keelan Whitman (St Pats Town)
5. Thomas Martin (Hamilton BHS)
6. Jaydn Holdaway (Marlborough BC) (VC)
7. Millennium Sanerivi (King’s College)
8. Dion Keogh (Hamilton BHS)
9. Anthony Naititi (Massey HS)
10. Rivez Reihana (St Kentigern College) (C)
11. Simeon Latu (Auckland Grammar School)
12. Terry Pongi (Sacred Heart)
13. Emanuel Tuimavave-Gerrard (Marcellin College)
14. Julian Vea (Rosmini College)
15. Eric Ah Hing (De La Salle College)
16. Funaki Mahe (Mangere College)
17. Tau Latu (Kings HS)
18. Josh Gimblett (Napier BHS)
19. Isaiah Mapusua (King’s College)
20. Alex Hill Half Back (Hastings BHS)
21. Stewart Cruden (Palmerston North BHS)
22. Zane Firth (New Plymouth BHS)
23. Jacob Payne (Southland BHS)
24. Tone Lopati (De La Salle)
25. Stefan Williams (Tu Toa)
26. Bill Halo (Massey High School)
27. Mac Edwards (Timaru BHS)
28. Tevita Hala (Dilworth College)
29. Louie Chapman (Christchurch BHS)
30. Steven Va’a (Rongotai College)

So here we go as a team full of Year 11 players I thought I will struggle for the big prop players and maybe the real tall Locks and so those things came into mind, I looked at the players on the Top 60 Year 11’s and thought how could put this team together and be able to compete with the big teams in NZ I thought where could I really compete and control the game. I looked at the loose forward trio and also the speed and explosiveness of my backs so thats how I directed my selections towards. I was very tempted to throw in Year 10 Ammon Dean out of St Kentigern College into the mix but I held true. I went with my Loose trio of Dion Keogh, Millennium Sanerivi and Jayden Holdaway and got a mix of length, size, bulk, with defence and go forward to balance out the size we give up in the front row then in the Locks put in Keelan Whitman another Loose forward so that we can play a spread offence that plays at pace and he adds a lot of defence to it too. Thomas Martin will be the go to jumper but with Keelan and Dion who both have height they will be options jumpers at the back to show option jumpers. Isaiah Mapusua and Josh Gimblett are both mean players that are in that stage of growing to where they could be Locks or Blind Side/No.8’s so they would fit perfectly coming off the bench to add the size and hold that pressure. The Loose forwards/Locks will back up the Front Rowers Fatongia Paea, Tyrone Thomas and Chris Hemi, they will hold on most of the time but you still need to battle up front and just the youth of the players will set us back a bit but thats why I pick a taller faster team. I would also bring in off the bench Funaki Mahe and Tau Latu just to keep the forwards going.

I have selected backs that can play explosive rugby that make defences move, gets them off balance, and all my backs can step at pace. Simeon Latu and Eric Ah Hing in the back field would lead the attack back and play that all out speed game looking and probing for gaps, Julian Vea will come in as back up to get to the next level of defence. Terry Pongi and Emanuel Tuimavave-Gerrard in my midfield with Zane Firth gives me that extra punch and off shoulder running that I know will break the line and punch holes in defences. The Forwards would play off Anthony Naititi and he will play that off half back running with quick play the ball and quickly out to the backs keeping the game moving. They would play off the direction of Rivez Reihana and with his ability to stick to a game plan and then add instinct to it it really works well for a team like this who will need that guidance and pattern running Rivez would be the best suited for it and then we could bring in Stewart to go Fullback and to be more attacking at Half Back Alex can come in for Anthony. Then we still have so much talent in the wider squad with Tevita Hala, Louie Chapman and Steven Va’a all guys who can really add so much value to the team.

My Year 11 Team Schedule

I want to play teams with good range of game play and also toughness, I want to start the PreSeason with teams I can beat but also as the weeks go on be able to get harder and harder games to prepare for the Season. For me a Season of 20 games both Pre-season and Season games is a good number. I will also put if I think my team would win or lose.

National Ranking

5 – Top 10 Teams
4 – Top 25 Teams
3 – Top 50 Teams
7 – Un-Ranked Teams

Pre Season

Week 1 Fraser HS – W
Week 2 Takapuna GS – W
Week 3 Cambridge HS (Hamilton) – W
Week 4 (32) Timaru BHS – W
Week 5 (13) Christchurch BHS – L

Season

Week 1 (18) Southland BHS – W
Week 2 (34) John McGlashan College – W
Week 3 Kings HS – W
Week 4 (2) Otago BHS – L
Week 5 Ashburton College – W
Week 6 Roncalli College – W
Week 7 (6) Shirley BHS – L
Week 8 Waimea College – W
Week 9 (23) St Pats Silverstream – W
Week 10 (16) Napier BHS – W
Week 11 (9) Hastings BHS – W
Week 12 (38) St Peters School Cambridge – W
Week 13 (4) Hamilton BHS – L
Week 14 (1) Kings College – L
Week 15 Mangere College – W

Record – Games 20
– Wins 15
– Lose 5

What do you think my record will be if I played with this team?