Rugby: Big blowouts concern rep coaches

Steamers and Greerton Marist winger Leroy Van Dam showed his class in the win over Rangataua on Saturday. Photo / Andrew Warner

New Steamers coaching duo of Clayton McMillan and Rodney Gibbs are disappointed by the number of high-scoring romps in the Bayfair Baywide premier competition.

"From a Steamers perspective there are some concerns that we have seen some pretty big blowouts," said head coach McMillan.

"It is not from a lack of effort but there are clearly some stronger teams in the competition. In a perfect world we would like 12 teams of pretty even calibre and guys getting hard rugby week in and week out. There have been some one-sided games and you could not say hand on heart they are getting the level of rugby we are looking for.

Clayton McMillan.

"I always thought the Western Bay were going to have some advantage by having a greater number of teams that were well resourced with players. The Central and Eastern Bay teams have all had their moments but the concern is around the consistency of performance."

Backs coach Gibbs said there was still a concern about lack of depth in key backline positions.

"We have seen growth in some of the boys. I think Dan [Hollinshead] has had a very productive year with the time he spent with the Chiefs. The New Zealand [under-20] process was good for him but unfortunate. I think he has grown a huge amount out of that. His attitude has been second to none.

"Te Rangi [Fraser] has probably been the standout back of club rugby to date. I am happy to see those boys growing with the game. It is not an easy fix and sometimes it is time in the saddle. It is really important we don't throw them out just because they are young.

"Midfield is an area we have looked really hard at. We are looking for guys that do specific things ... that are going to transfer into ITM Cup."

McMillan and Gibbs are working with a wider training squad ahead of the official Steamers trial on Wednesday June 17 in Rotorua.

The squad will train together over the next six weeks as ITM Cup preparations ramp up with the start of the competition now under three months away.

McMillan is not making the squad public at this stage as he says it is a fairly transient group, depending on form and injuries.

About 75 per cent of their final squad was sorted.

"I am happy the squad reflects club form and the profile we are looking for in an ITM Cup player. However there are still seven weeks before we make our final selection. There is ample opportunity for the players who have missed out on the initial squad to put their hand up.

"Consistency of performance as the competition nears the play-offs will be vital to enhance their chance of selection."