WFR News Engine V3

🏉🔥 WFR XXXI CONFERENCE ONE — SEASON PREVIEW THE LONG ROAD BEGINS: 22 ROUNDS, SATURDAY/WEDNESDAY RUGBY AND ONE HUGE PRIZE The waiting is almost over. After the Earthquake Trophy, the international tours and weeks of squad building, WFR XXXI Conference One kicks off this Saturday — and this season is going to be unlike anything the competition has previously experienced. Twelve clubs. Twenty-two rounds. Home and away. And for the first time, Conference One will operate through the new Saturday/Wednesday draw, meaning clubs will regularly have to back up in the middle of the week before turning around and doing it all again. This won't simply be a test of the best starting XV. It will be a test of the entire 35-man squad. And after going through the twelve Conference One Form Guides, WFR TV sees a competition with several genuine contenders — including one club that has already given everybody an enormous warning. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🏆 WELCOME TO WFR XXXI CONFERENCE ONE. ⚡ THE BIG CHANGE — 22 ROUNDS OF RELENTLESS RUGBY This is the storyline that could define the season. Conference One moves through a full 22-round double round-robin, with the draw mixing traditional Saturday fixtures with Wednesday night matches. That completely changes squad management. A club may be capable of fielding a brilliant Matchday 23 on Saturday. But what happens when another match arrives on Wednesday? And then another Saturday? Owners will have decisions everywhere: Do you rotate the front row? Do you rest your first-choice No.10? How much rugby can your leading loose forwards handle? Do you protect a player carrying reduced health or form? When do you gamble on the wider squad? The Form Guides show 35-player squads, and XXXI could be the season when numbers 24 through 35 become every bit as important as the superstars. Depth isn't a luxury anymore. Depth could decide promotion. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🌟 THE LEADING CONTENDERS There isn't one runaway favourite on paper. But based on the supplied XXXI Form Guides, recent knockout performances and the strength available across the squads, several teams immediately demand attention. 🥇 EDINBURGH CANNON — BUILT FOR A TITLE CHARGE There is a lot to like about Edinburgh. Their squad enters the season with one of the strongest overall form profiles in Conference One, and there is quality scattered throughout it. Blair Kinghorn, Matt Scott, Huw Jones and Chris Harris give them serious established quality, while Nathan Chamberlain has already been producing points — the supplied guide records two tries, three conversions, three penalties and a drop goal from his recent action. The forwards shouldn't be overlooked either. Max Williamson already has two tries recorded, with Jare Oguntibeju and Teddy Leatherbrow also crossing during the pre-season/knockout period. And we've already seen Edinburgh reach the Earthquake Trophy semi-finals. They aren't arriving with theoretical potential. They've already been winning knockout matches. WFR TV WATCH: Edinburgh Cannon A squad that looks capable of surviving the Wednesday/Saturday grind as well as winning the big games. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🇫🇷 BORDEAUX LES DAMIERS — SERIOUS FIREPOWER Bordeaux may have been blown away by Silverstream Wild in the Earthquake Trophy quarter-final, but Conference One is a completely different campaign. And this squad has weapons. Thibaud Flament, Charles Ollivon, François Cros, Gaël Fickou and Emilien Gailleton form part of an impressive French core. Bordeaux Les Damiers Then there is Thomas Dolhagaray. Remember him? Four tries already. His Form Guide records four tries and 20 points, including the hat-trick we saw during Bordeaux's Earthquake Trophy opening-round demolition of Taupo. Bordeaux's current squad form is also among the strongest in the division. Over 22 rounds, that matters. WFR TV WATCH: Bordeaux If they can turn their attacking ability into week-to-week consistency, they should be heavily involved in the promotion battle. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🔥 TAUPO TOA — DON'T LET THE EARTHQUAKE TROPHY FOOL YOU Taupo's knockout campaign ended early. That doesn't make them a weak Conference One side. Far from it. Their forward resources include Kurt Eklund, Akira Ioane, Samipeni Finau and Evan Roos. Eklund already has three tries recorded, while Akira enters the campaign in excellent form. And then there is Rivez Reihana. His current Form Guide numbers jump off the page: 4 tries 11 conversions 3 penalties 51 points That's already an enormous attacking contribution. Taupo also demonstrated what their attack can do during the international tours with that huge performance against Georgia. This is a dangerous side. WFR TV WATCH: Taupo Toa Potentially one of the competition's biggest attacking threats. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🐻 CALIFORNIAN GRIZZLIES — POLLARD HOLDS THE KEYS If you're looking for a squad with heavyweight individual talent, California immediately enters the conversation. And everything starts at No.10. HANDRÉ POLLARD His guide already shows: 1 try — 4 conversions — 8 penalties — 37 points, alongside elite base attributes across attack, defence, kicking and experience. Around him sit dangerous players including Mark Telea, Edwill van der Merwe and Cadan Murley. Edwill enters XXXI in particularly good form, while California's squad grades strongly when the current attributes across the 35 are examined. Their challenge? Turning names on paper into victories. WFR TV WATCH: Californian Grizzlies If Pollard controls matches and their outside backs receive enough quality possession, California could be extremely difficult to contain. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🇫🇷 PARIS TITANS — TOO MUCH QUALITY TO IGNORE Paris might be one of the more intriguing sides in the entire competition. Their squad contains Curwin Bosch, Antoine Hastoy, Gabin Villière, Jonathan Danty, Melvyn Jaminet and Teddy Thomas. That's some backline. Bosch's current attributes make him an especially interesting option because of his ability to cover first five and scrumhalf, something that could become extremely valuable during the compressed schedule. Their pack also contains Maxime Lamothe, Georges-Henri Colombe, Christ Tshiunza, Anthony Jelonch and Hugo Hermet, with Lamothe and Hermet already having two tries apiece recorded. WFR TV WATCH: Paris Titans One of the squads with enough individual quality to climb quickly if combinations settle. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🦅 HAWKES BAY MAGPIES — THE DARK HORSE WITH TEETH Hawkes Bay should not be underestimated. We've already seen what they can do in the Earthquake Trophy, and the squad contains several players capable of taking over matches. Folau Fakatava. Quinn Tupaea. Cam Millar. Josh Timu. Te Kamaka Howden. Lincoln McClutchie has already accumulated 32 points in the current Form Guide, while Josh Timu has crossed twice. There's also international experience through Alex Dombrandt, providing another dimension to the loose forwards. Hawkes Bay may not attract quite the same immediate attention as some of the European-based squads. That could change very quickly. WFR TV WATCH: Hawkes Bay A very awkward opponent — especially if Fakatava and Millar control tempo. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🔥 PENINSULA PIONEERS — THE TEAM NOBODY CAN DISMISS NOW And then there are the Earthquake Trophy runners-up. Whatever the raw squad averages say, Peninsula have already supplied the most important evidence available: They win rugby matches. They went all the way to the Earthquake Trophy Grand Final before finally being beaten 45–31 by Silverstream Wild. And several of their players enter the Conference One season flying. Jake Shearer has three tries. Noah Hotham has four tries and a drop goal. And Romain Ntamack has already accumulated 28 points, with eight conversions and four penalties. Quinten Strange enters with form of 106, Ethan Burns 112, Manasa Samo 106 and Yoram Moefana 107. That's significant. WFR TV WATCH: Peninsula Pioneers The Earthquake Trophy proved they can handle knockout pressure. Now comes the completely different challenge of doing it across 22 rounds. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ⚔️ CENTRAL VIKINGS — THE RELEGATED GIANT Here comes perhaps the biggest storyline of Conference One XXXI. Central Vikings are down from the Premiership. That means a club accustomed to Premiership opposition now has to regroup and attack a 22-round promotion campaign. And their squad contains plenty of quality. Ethan de Groot. Brodie Retallick. Sam Cane. Cortez Ratima. Damian McKenzie. Anton Lienert-Brown. Du'Plessis Kirifi. The forward core alone includes de Groot, Retallick and Cane, while Ratima provides quality at scrumhalf. There is also a major motivational question. How does Central respond to relegation? If they respond aggressively, Conference One has a problem. WFR TV WATCH: Central Vikings One of the great unknowns of XXXI. Their ceiling is high enough to make them a major factor. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🇨🇦 BC LUMBERJACKS — THE NEW BOYS HAVE ALREADY SWUNG THE AXE Welcome to Conference One, BC Lumberjacks. And they haven't exactly arrived quietly. BC already produced one of the early Earthquake Trophy stories by knocking out the Californian Grizzlies 30–20. There is genuine top-end quality here. Rieko Ioane. Codie Taylor. Jake Gordon. Josh Ioane. Taylor enters with form above 100, while Jake Gordon's current attack and defence numbers are both 5.20. Callum Botchar has also already contributed with the boot, while Tyler Ardron adds experience to the loose forwards. The question is depth. Over one knockout match BC can hurt anybody. Can they do it 22 times? WFR TV WATCH: BC Lumberjacks Potential giant-killers — and perhaps considerably more if their wider squad holds together. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🇦🇷 BUENOS AIRES BOMBERS — DANGEROUS OUT WIDE The Bombers possess some genuine attacking class. Mateo Carreras, Santiago Chocobares, Emiliano Boffelli, Santiago Cordero and Juan Imhoff give Buenos Aires serious options. Carreras in particular enters with excellent underlying attacking numbers, while Joaquin de la Vega Mendia has already contributed a try, conversions and penalties. The pack includes Facundo Bosch and Pedro Rubiolo, but Buenos Aires may need greater consistency through the grind of the season if they are going to stay with the leading contenders. WFR TV WATCH: Buenos Aires Give their backs space and they can punish anybody. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🇨🇱 SANTIAGO CONDORS — NEVER COUNT THEM OUT Santiago have already shown in the Earthquake Trophy that they can win pressure matches. And their international tour fixtures have given the squad more valuable rugby before the season begins. Juan Cruz Mallía provides genuine class, while Tomas Albornoz, Sebastian Cancelliere, Facundo Isa and Adam Radwan give the Condors several potential match-winners. Mallía has already contributed three conversions and two penalties in the current guide. The concern is that some areas of the squad don't possess the same depth as the leading contenders. On Wednesday nights, that could matter. WFR TV WATCH: Santiago Condors Dangerous enough to wreck somebody else's promotion campaign — and capable of pushing higher if their leading players stay healthy. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🗾 TOKYO SHOGUNS — THE GREAT WILDCARD Tokyo may be the hardest team to forecast. Some areas of their squad are young and comparatively lightly rated. Then you look at the spine. Aaron Smith Ben Donaldson Ange Capuozzo Ryohei Yamanaka Takuya Obata also carries excellent current attacking numbers, while Yamanaka brings enormous experience. That creates a fascinating contrast. Can their stars carry the developing areas of the roster through 22 matches? WFR TV WATCH: Tokyo Shoguns Possibly the division's ultimate wildcard. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🏆 SO WHO STARTS AMONG THE FAVOURITES? Looking strictly at the current XXXI Form Guides, squad strength and what we've already seen through the Earthquake Trophy and tours, WFR TV's leading contender group heading into Saturday is: Edinburgh Cannon, Bordeaux Les Damiers, Taupo Toa, Californian Grizzlies, Paris Titans and Hawkes Bay Magpies. But there are two enormous warnings attached to that assessment. Peninsula Pioneers have already reached a major WFR XXXI final, so writing them off because of squad averages would be foolish. And Central Vikings are coming down from the Premiership, carrying players of a calibre that could completely change the Conference One picture once league rugby begins. Then lurking behind them are BC, Buenos Aires, Santiago and Tokyo. In other words... There isn't an easy Saturday. And now there isn't an easy Wednesday either. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 📺 WFR TV — THE BIG XXXI QUESTIONS Can the Peninsula Pioneers turn their Earthquake Trophy run into a sustained promotion campaign? Will Central Vikings bounce straight back after relegation? Can Edinburgh's impressive squad translate its knockout form into 22-round consistency? Are Bordeaux ready to turn attacking firepower into a championship challenge? Can Pollard drive California into the promotion race? Will Taupo's attacking game survive the week-to-week grind? Are Hawkes Bay the side everybody is underestimating? Can the new BC Lumberjacks shock Conference One in their debut season? And perhaps the biggest question of all: WHO CAN SURVIVE 22 ROUNDS? Because XXXI won't necessarily be won by the club with the best first XV. It may be won by the owner who manages 35 players better than everybody else. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🚨 WFR XXXI — CONFERENCE ONE 12 CLUBS 22 ROUNDS SATURDAY + WEDNESDAY MATCHES HOME AND AWAY ONE PROMOTION RACE The knockout rugby is finished. The warm-ups are finished. The tours have provided the final preparation. Now every selection matters. Every injury matters. Every rotation matters. Every Wednesday matters. And after 22 rounds, the table will tell us who mastered the most demanding Conference One season WFR has staged. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 🏉 WFR XXXI CONFERENCE ONE KICKS OFF SATURDAY. THE ROAD TO THE PREMIERSHIP STARTS NOW. 🔥🏆