But if conditions dictate that it’s best to keep the ball in the forwards, Tuapawa is comfortable with that.
The ground will be soft after this week’s rain but weather conditions tomorrow are expected to be OK.
The MetService forecast partly cloudy weather for Gisborne.
Tomorrow is the penultimate round of the regular season and the remaining matches could affect who can afford a slip-up in the semis, and who can’t.
Waikohu have a mathematical chance of finishing second — and therefore avoiding a sudden-death fixture in the first week of the playoffs — though they would need other results to go their way.
YMP are second on the ladder but might also be caught by Earthwork Solutions High School Old Boys, who play Larsawn Ngatapa at Rugby Park tomorrow.
Competition leaders Enterprise Cars OBM will play Kevin Hollis Glass Pirates-GMC in tomorrow’s other match, at the Oval.
In the playoffs, the winners of the game between the two top-ranked sides will go straight through to the final.
The teams ranked 3 and 4 will play each other and the losers will be out. The winners will play the losers of 1 against 2 to determine the second finalist.
Right now, Waikohu have the most settled backline in the competition.
They’ve got Poverty Bay first five-eighth Kelvin Smith at No.10, with Ethine Reeves outside him and Larry Fleming at fullback.
When the two teams met in April, YMP’s backs put on a dazzling show in a 39-21 victory over a Waikohu outfit that struggled to find enough fit players to field a team.
It was a stellar contest, all the same, and YMP were too good in the second half.
“We owe them one,” Tuapawa said.
“I can’t wait for the game.”
YMP have gone off the boil since they went unbeaten through the first round, and tomorrow’s match will be a good test of whether they remain title contenders.
Ngatapa coach Steve Hickey said his side, now out of the running for the playoffs, would still look to finish strong.
“The guys have been in good spirits all season,” he said.
The game is important for their opponents, as it might put HSOB in a position where they could leapfrog YMP for second spot.
HSOB manager Jonathan Poole said last weekend’s game against OBM showed they needed to keep working hard to improve.
“Any game against Ngatapa will be tough,” he said.
“They’ve had some close results. We’re in for a battle.”
Flanker Zane Boyle will play his 50th match for the club.
OBM coach Trevor Crosby said their game against Pirates-GMC provided another chance to tinker with plans and give some players more time on the park.
“They got four tries against us last time,” Crosby said.
Defence around the ruck was one area they would look to “repair”.
Pirates-GMC were buoyed by their performance against YMP last week, when they lost 35-21.
Players will also be out to impress the Poverty Bay selectors ahead of the next Town-versus-Country game on June 22.
