Coach calm as Steamers experiment

It can be a coaches worst nightmare - the changing of the guard. Bay of Plenty Steamers coach Sean Horan is experiencing some of it this season.
With Mike Delany taking up an overseas contract, Colin Bourke still out with a shoulder injury with no real indication of when he will return and the loss of other senior players like 50-game veterans John Moore and Grant McQuoid, you'd think Horan would be pulling his hair out.
But the Bay coach still has his fine weave and appears to be taking it all in his stride.
Sure their first game against Taranaki last Friday didn't result in a win. The Steamers went down 22-12, but there were some positive signs from the blue and gold.
In the No10 jersey Chris Noakes looks to be a player of class while veteran Dan Goodwin came off the bench and scored a try, with barnstorming lock spending the past 12 months rehabilitating from a ankle injury.
One of the biggest pluses was No8 Jeff Thwaites, who looks to be a star of the future.
Hornan said Thwaites, who last year was playing for Tauranga Boys' College, looked comfortable at the back of the scrum.
"I was very impressed with Jeff, very impressed ... 19 years of age not even a dozen senior games. He's a big young strapping lad who just goes to work.
"There is obviously some things experience wise with ball retention that needs work, but he hits hard and works hard and at the end of the day that's all you can ask."
The Thwaites name isn't new to Bay of Plenty rugby with the the youngster's father Don playing 17 games for the Bay between 1985 and 1986.
Thwaites who was named in tomorrow's lineup for the return clash with Taranaki in New Plymouth, said getting the chance to play for the Bay had always been a dream of his. "It's always been in the back of my mind but I didn't think it would happen this soon. It's been a good experience and the experienced players have helped show me the way."
There was now an opportunity for players like Thwaites and Noakes to make their mark with so many senior players either not available or retired, Horan said.
"As a team we probably have to grow from [the loss of senior players]. We probably relied a bit too heavy on Mike Delany and Colin Bourke so now we need to be positive about where we want to go and what we want to achieve."
Noakes, who got 70 minutes against Taranaki, said he didn't feel any extra pressure taking over from Delany. "You're not going to replace him straight away, he was a pretty special player."
The Steamers have a short turn around before taking on Taranaki again, with the teams doubling up after North Harbour pulled out of last Friday's game in Katikati, unhappy at the Players' Association demands to pay draft development players a match fee of $1000.
Horan said the team got a lot from the Katikati match and would be looking to improve on their discipline and decision making.
Bay of Plenty
Pingi Talaapitaga/Tristan Moran, John Pareanga, Josh Hohneck, Leon Power, Leighton Price, Luke Andrews (capt), Scott Curry, Jeff Thwaites, Lewis Hancock, Dan Waenga, SikeliVorenasu, Steve Kefu, Jason Hona, Lance MacDonald, Toby Arnold. Reserves: Dan Perrin, Moran/Talaapitaga, Dan Goodwin, Andrew Stead, Chris Noakes, Phil Burleigh, Courtney Mohi, Dan Schuster.