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       #Post#: 44843--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Marchant Playing?
   DIR By: deadlyfrom5yardsout
       Date: June 25, 2020, 3:37 am
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       Poor old Joe. All became a bit of a damp squib really. Still,
       experiencing different Coaching can only be a good thing.
       #Post#: 44847--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Marchant Playing?
   DIR By: Fearless Fred
       Date: June 25, 2020, 3:53 am
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       Here's the official team announcement
  HTML https://blues.rugby/unchanged-starting-line-up-for-landers/
       for
       this weekend. The interesting thing in there is the quote about
       Joe:
       --- Quote ---
       > “It is also Joe’s final hit-out with the team. He has been a
       popular and outstanding member of the team and we will miss him.
       He has contributed well on and off the field and we are
       confident he will return as a more complete footballer for the
       experience when he returns to Harlequins.”
       --- End Quote ---
       Aside from the sly dig at NH rugby in the last part, it seems
       he's done well by their estimations. I guess that the fact he'd
       be heading back before the end of the revised competition meant
       that the coaching staff wanted to prioritise time on the field
       for players who have more games ahead of them in the
       competition.
       #Post#: 44864--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Marchant Playing?
   DIR By: MadMax
       Date: June 25, 2020, 6:02 am
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       --- Quote from: Fearless Fred link ---
       >
       > Here's the official team announcement
  HTML https://blues.rugby/unchanged-starting-line-up-for-landers/
       for
       this weekend. The interesting thing in there is the quote about
       Joe:Aside from the sly dig at NH rugby in the last part, it
       seems he's done well by their estimations. I guess that the fact
       he'd be heading back before the end of the revised competition
       meant that the coaching staff wanted to prioritise time on the
       field for players who have more games ahead of them in the
       competition.
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       I don't see that as a dig. Surely any team would hope to make a
       player better before he moves on?
       #Post#: 44871--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Marchant Playing?
   DIR By: J Scott
       Date: June 25, 2020, 7:33 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote from: MadMax link ---
       >
       > I don't see that as a dig. Surely any team would hope to make
       a player better before he moves on?
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       Also is that not the very reason for the move by hi and the
       club?
       #Post#: 44957--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Marchant Playing?
   DIR By: Fearless Fred
       Date: June 26, 2020, 3:18 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Here's what the Times is saying about his time down there:
       Joe Marchant’s Super Rugby gamble pays off as Eddie Jones hails
       his education from greats Dan Carter and Beauden Barrett
       Harlequins centre set for England recall after Super Rugby stint
       with Carter and Barrett
       Alex Lowe, Deputy Rugby Correspondent
       Thursday June 25 2020, 5.00pm, The Times
       Joe Marchant’s Super Rugby sabbatical is nearly over. The
       England centre is set to make his final appearance for the Blues
       against the Highlanders in Auckland tomorrow morning after being
       named on the bench, before flying home to rejoin Harlequins and
       begin preparations for the restart of the Gallagher Premiership
       season.
       Marchant knew he was asking a lot when he walked in to see Paul
       Gustard, the Harlequins head of rugby, and said he wanted to
       build a Super Rugby stint into his new contract. Not only would
       Harlequins have to agree to release one of their best players
       but Marchant was putting on hold the chance of playing for
       England.
       The 23-year-old outside centre won three caps in the build-up to
       last year’s World Cup and he would have backed himself to be
       involved in England’s Six Nations squad but he was determined to
       follow the path less trodden, by taking himself to the other
       side of the world to further his education in Super Rugby.
       Marchant was fortunate that in Gustard and in Eddie Jones, the
       England head coach, he had two mentors who bought into his
       vision and recognised the value of experiencing a different
       style of rugby.
       At the Blues he has been coached by Leon MacDonald and Tana
       Umaga, two former All Blacks. Marchant has relished the “pretty
       crazy” training sessions, with Beauden Barrett playing fly half
       on one team and Dan Carter on the other.
       “The best coaches in the world are the best players,” Jones told
       The Times. “Getting to play alongside two of the foremost tens
       in the world in Beauden Barrett and Dan Carter, he’ll learn how
       they operate during a game, how they think about preparing for a
       game, how they prepare for a game, so that’s a great learning
       opportunity.
       “It shows that he’s determined to be the best that he can be.
       He’s made a great move to explore what rugby can teach him and
       he’s shown the right sort of character.
       “We’ve seen Graham Henry and Steve Hansen both turn New Zealand
       from an 80 per cent winning team to a 90 per cent winning team
       learning about the value particularly of set-piece having
       coached in Wales.
       “Joe will have learnt about the New Zealand approach to rugby —
       that it’s not just all about possession, keeping the ball. That
       it’s about exploring transitional periods in the game with
       urgency and an element of risk.
       “He’ll learn about the New Zealand approach to training which is
       different again from English club rugby in some regards. All in
       all it’s a great learning experience for him.”
       Marchant has made a success of his southern sojourn. He played
       six games, scoring three tries before the Super Rugby season was
       halted, playing outside centre and wing.
       “Joe has been a popular and outstanding member of the team and
       we will miss him,” MacDonald said. “He has contributed well on
       and off the field and we are confident he will return as a more
       complete footballer for the experience when he returns to
       Harlequins.”
       That, indeed, was the point of the venture. It was how Gustard
       sold it to the board when Harlequins thought he would miss the
       second half of the season. As it transpires, Marchant will be
       available for nine games as Harlequins push for Heineken
       Champions Cup qualification.
       He will spend two weeks in quarantine upon his return home and
       then start building a new centre partnership with André
       Esterhuizen, the Springbok. Long term, his goal is to overhaul
       Manu Tuilagi, Henry Slade and Jonathan Joseph to be England’s
       outside centre at the 2023 World Cup.
       “It was brave from the club and brave for Joe to test himself at
       this stage of his career, to compete and challenge and test his
       skills,” Gustard said. “Joe is a special player and potentially
       a very special player for England and we had to factor that into
       our mindset.
       “He wants to compete for England in the next World Cup cycle, so
       he has a three-and-a-half-year run-in to establish himself as
       England’s starting 13.
       “The first thing we will see is a massive increase in his
       confidence. He has now played a faster movement game than we see
       in the Premiership. The way the Blues want to handle the ball,
       the way they play a 1-3-3-1 attacking shape, he will be
       improving his communication and passing skills as well.
       “He really felt he could add to the Blues’ defensive make-up.
       Last season he was the best defensive outside centre in the
       league, better than Manu (Tuilagi), better than Henry (Slade).
       “But he has learnt the ability to defend big men moving quickly,
       with angles and offloads, and to develop his own skill set in
       that area.”
       #Post#: 44983--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Marchant Playing?
   DIR By: Banstead Quin
       Date: June 27, 2020, 9:49 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       And he got through today's game unscathed so as long as he
       doesn't fall over at the airport, he should be ready to go.
       Think him and Esterhuizen will work really well together, some
       serious carrying ability with Brown, Earle and Gabs/Ashton as
       well.
       #Post#: 44984--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Marchant Playing?
   DIR By: DOK
       Date: June 27, 2020, 10:15 am
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       Report on Sky
  HTML https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/rugby-union/12015871/joe-marchant-reflects-on-time-with-blues<br
       />
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