Bay of Plenty hooker Nathan Harris, pictured against the Blues in Rotorua last Friday, will make his official Chiefs debut off the bench tonight. Photo / George Novak
Wayne Smith, the mastermind behind the Chiefs' defensive strategies, believes the battle for the starting hooker's role between former NZ Under-20 teammates Rhys Marshall and Bay of Plenty's Nathan Harris is bringing out the very best in both players.
With the two senior hookers Mahonri Schwalger and Hika Elliot on
the long term injury list, Harris has been upgraded from a training role to a major playing one.
He will start off the bench against the Crusaders tonight with Marshall having first dibs at the coveted No2 jersey.
Smith has been highly impressed with the work ethic and approach shown by Steamers hooker Harris.
"Nathan is outstanding. He wants for nothing in terms of his commitment to the game and his love of it, which you can see in his training," Smith said. "Those two guys are as fit as any hookers in the country. They push each other and have a great attitude to helping each other even though they are competing for a spot. I could not be happier with both those two.
