Steamers: Positive start to testing period

His absence has been noted, but Bay of Plenty Steamers are set to welcome back captain Colin Bourke in today's final pre-season clash at Manawatu.
Coach Sean Horan has named the No8 in his lineup alongside Tanerau Latimer, who will also make his return in a Steamers jersey.
The pair have been out injured for much of the ITM Cup preparations, but with Bourke seemingly recovered from his lengthy shoulder injury lay-off, Horan is confident it can only bring good luck to the field.
"We're very pleased to have Colin back," Horan said. "He's our team captain, he's a big influence on our team, so it's really pleasing [he's fit].
"We also have Phil Burleigh back, Lelia Masaga, Leon Power back there and Tanerau Latimer is starting. There's a lot of experience to come back and others will be getting opportunities to play."
While the Steamers hope to come away with a win, Horan said the underlying goal was to work on their combinations, especially with their campaign starting in just over a week.
It's a hard and fast competition, with provincial rugby squeezed into two months to make way for the Rugby World Cup.
The Steamers' fixtures of 10 games in six weeks have meant introducing players to a pressured pre-season to acclimatise them to what's to come.
"We want to win and perform well, but our priority is combination," Horan said. "We want to sort them out and come together as a team. It's the reason we've had all these games - to get [the team] prepared. It's going to be hard on their bodies and it's going to be new for all of them, they're going into the unknown."
Two players who have already experienced success this past month are the Steamers' Baby Blacks Carl Axtens and Sam Cane. Axtens gets a start today, while Cane will be brought on from the bench. Former Wallaby Steve Kefu also gets another start.
"Like most unions, you're going to see a bit of rotation to balance the bodies," Horan said.
Steamers take on Counties-Manukau in the opening round of the ITM Cup in Pukekohe on Sunday, July 17. They then face three games in eight days against North Harbour, Waikato and Wellington. Today's game, which kicks off at 3pm, marks the end of a week-long team-building and preparation camp, which has brought the full squad together for the first time.
Colin Slade will be on trial for a spot in the All Blacks' Tri-Nations squad when he plays for Canterbury against Wellington in a pre-season game in Petone today.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry and assistant Wayne Smith will be keen observers at the Petone Recreation Ground to assess whether the first five-eighth will be understudy to Dan Carter when they name their Tri-Nations squad on Sunday.
Steamers: Tristan Moran, John Pareanga, Bronson Murray, Luke Andrews, Leon Power, Carl Axtens, Tanerau Latimer, Colin Bourke (captain), Jamie Nutbrown, Chris Noakes, Jason Hona, Phil Burleigh, Steve Kefu, Lelia Masaga, Nick McCashin. Reserves: Dan Perrin, Greg Pleasants-Tate, Culum Retallick, Scott Curry, Taniela Moa, Daniel Waenga, Toby Arnold, Pingi Talaapitaga, Sam Cane.