Southland Stags draft in new hooker as injury cover
Southland Stags draft in new hooker as injury cover
Nic Souchon made his NPC debut with Canterbury in 2018 before switching to Otago in 2019. He then joined Bay of Plenty for the 2020 and 2022 seasons.
The Southland Stags have drafted in a hooker to provide cover for the injured Jacob Payne.
Payne injured his knee in the first half of the Stags’ 29-21 loss to Waikato in Invercargill on Sunday.
Rugby Southland director of rugby Matt Saunders said it still hasn’t been firmed up just how long Payne is expected to be sidelined for.
The Stags decision-makers have moved quickly bringing Nic Souchon into the setup this week, and at some point Souchon may debut for Southland. If he does would be his fourth NPC team.
Souchon made his NPC debut with Canterbury in 2018 before switching to Otago in 2019. He then joined Bay of Plenty for the 2020 and 2022 seasons.
His most recent pro rugby stint has been with Old Glory DC in the US Major Rugby League competition.
Souchon will join Jack Taylor and Ben Strang as the current fit hookers in the Stags setup.
The Stags management has resisted going to Southland Development team hooker Tupou Kaufononga to provide cover.
Kaufononga is in his first season playing at hooker after being switched from the loose forwards.
He’s still learning the hooking craft, particularly when it comes to both the lineout and scrum.
“If it’s double figures, it will just be,” Saunders said about the number of games Kaufononga has played as a hooker.
Saunders said if they took a gamble on Kaufononga at this point, and it didn’t work out, he could be written off.
Other hookers in the Southland Development squad, Jayden Henderson and James Moodie, were deemed not to be up to NPC level.
Another halfback option is also in the sights of the Stags to help provide cover, given Liam Howley’s season-ending bicep injury.
Jahvis Wallace is also still on the injured list after breaking a bone in his hand in the club rugby final.
It leaves Jay Renton and Kaisei Tamura as the two fit halfbacks in the Stags squad at this point.
Outside the front row, teams cannot draft in players from outside the province after round five of the competition.
Halfback is another position where it seems there is a belief that there are not the players at NPC level to go to within the Southland Development group.