Athletic have the plan but that’s just a start

Athletic’s Jesse Kapene (left) and Waikohu’s Te Miini Kohere-Smiler compete for lineout possession. Both will be in action when the teams meet at Te Karaka tomorrow. Picture by Paul Rickard

Athletic rugby coach Jimmy Whaitiri says the best way to beat premier division leaders Waikohu is to deny them possession.

“The hard part is doing it, and doing it for 80 minutes,” said the wily Whaitiri, whose Charteris Choppers Athletic side are second-bottom, with one win to their name, as they prepare to travel to Te Karaka tomorrow.

“They’re a good team — hard-working forwards with more skill than they’re sometimes given credit for, and backs who can attack from anywhere on the pitch.

“We did a good job of denying High School Old Boys possession last week, especially in the first half, when we made some good first-up tackles.

“Unfortunately we fell off the tackles a bit in the second half and allowed them to get on a roll.

“I thought our fitness towards the end let us down a bit.

“When your fitness goes, discipline tends to slip, but what did impress me was that this didn’t happen. The discipline was good.

“The HSOB game was quite physical and took a bit out of the boys, so I didn’t push them too hard in training this week.

“It’s going to take an 80-minute effort tomorrow.”

Although he is playing in a side at the wrong end of the table, former rugby league winger-turned-flanker Jesse Kapene has been a revelation.

Kapene, who also played in the Hawke’s Bay premier competition, is keeping the pressure on Ngatapa prop Semisi Akana in the battle for the MVP (most valuable player) award.

Kapene is on 10 points, one behind Akana.

“He (Kapene) is a big strong guy who is hard to stop and tackles well,” Whaitiri said.

In Dave Gallagher, Brendon Bishop, Kurt Taylor, Damen Taukamo-Huata, Sitiveni Nasove and Adam Sainsbury, Whaitiri has a solid core of experience.

GT Shearing Waikohu coach Jason Tuapawa missed last week’s win against OBM but is back in charge tomorrow.

“I’ve talked to a few people I trust and got the lowdown on how we played,” Tuapawa said.

“Apparently we did some things well, others not so well. But at this stage I’m looking at fielding an unchanged team, apart from Tawhao Stewart (centre), who has work commitments.

¦ Earthwork Solutions High School Old Boys coach Jamie Hutana was happy to field a team and win last week.

“But it’s still very much one game at a time for us,” he said.

“We have a few players slowly coming back, which is a help to the team,” said Hutana, who should make it two wins in a row when they host Roseland Tavern Tapuae at the Oval.

“We’re taking nothing for granted,” he said.

“It all depends on who travels for Tapuae. They have some good players but travelling can be a problem for some of them.

“We’re getting combinations and players back but game time is another thing.”

Although HSOB have been struggling this season, lock-cum-loosie Kupu Lloyd has been a model of consistency.

Lloyd is one of those players every team should have, a no-nonsense footballer who goes about his job with no fuss.

He gets through a power of work on and off the ball with a “team first” motto.

“Kupu has the ability to become a representative,” Hutana said.

“He has a great attitude, which some of the younger players don’t always have.”

Tapuae coach Frank King and his skipper, Wayne Hema, have the hardest job in the competition — keeping up the morale of a team who have yet to collect a point, have conceded 243 points and have scored 43 in their six matches.

But in Jeke Fatafehi, Chayce Rurehe, Dan Hartley, Te Kapua-Rewi, Clint Taumata, Ike Meredith, Graham Wallis, Shamrock Brown, Jarrod Ribbon and Lance Horua, King has players who will not take a step back for anyone.