A third championship win would be rich reward for the Hosea Gear-coached NPEC in the year of their centenary and a season in which they ended a 54-game competition losing streak .
NPEC will be keen to claim their fifth win over the Bush, who they first met in 1976 (18-4 to the Bush in Masterton). The Coast last beat the Bush 33-13 in Ruatoria in 2011 and have only beaten them once in Masterton — 31-15 in 1999.
Gear flew back to Queensland yesterday but will be with the Sky Blues in spirit.
In the absence of Gear, the team will be taken by assistant and forwards coach Morgan Wirepa junior, scrum coach Laman Davies and manager LeRoy Kururangi.
“We got over celebrating the boys' great win against a tough Poverty Bay team (last weekend) pretty quickly,” Gear said. “The Bush will be ready and want to finish the season on a high. I want us to challenge ourselves and see if we can produce something better than we did last weekend.”
Bush coach Mark Rutene is looking for an entertaining performance from both teams.
“It's the last game of the season so both sides may as well throw the ball around and have some fun,” said Rutene. “From the Coast haka onwards, it'll be all on and we'd better knock them over. We know what they're capable of.”
Unfortunately, the weather in Masterton is forecast to be dreary if not dreadful. Heavy rain is expected.
In the starting 15, the Coast have a new scrum anchor in Jorian Tangaere, who replaces 50-capper Peter Mirrielees. Myles Lardelli-Muir Tawa has been promoted from the bench to No.3 while vice-captain Perrin Manuel shifts to loosehead prop for Jody Tuhaka.
Ex-Samoan international Faifili Levave makes way for Trent Boswell-Wakefield at lock, Tihirau Victory Club captain Moana Mato is the fetcher for Tanira Tamanui-Nepia. Hoani Te Moana, the Sky Blues' Most Valuable Player and reserve lock last week, will start at No.8 for Willie Bolingford.
Tawhao Stewart is moving from right wing to centre, replacing Tutere Waenga. Teina Potae is the new 14.
The big news on the bench is the inclusion of former All Black Rico Gear, who at 94 kilograms will be six kilograms lighter than he was when he turned out for Poverty Bay on the right wing at Rugby Park in 2016. If he takes the field, he will be Coast representative No.1214.
Coast skipper blindside flanker Hone Haerewa is adamant his boys have another big game in them.
“The build-up this week has been different. Uncontrollables have gotten in the way of trainings and such but we'll get together and get that excitement from each other going again,” he said. “Set-piece play is going to be the key. We're looking to set a good solid platform, to keep that going, so that we can attack all game.”
NPEC and Wairarapa-Bush have both felt from time to time that but for luck, or periods in games during which lapses occurred, their season might have been very different.
The Coast travelled to Oamaru first-up and went down by eight points to the now fifth-placed North Otago. In Week 3, only seven points separated the Sky Blues and Horowhenua-Kapiti in Levin and a fortnight ago, West Coast retained the Arthur Wickes Memorial Trophy at NPEC's expense with a late try and five-point margin.
A win away tomorrow would make 2021 the Sky Blues' most successful season since the high times of 2012 and Meads Cup glory.
Tomorrow's referee is 30 year-old chartered accountant Fraser Hannon of Otago.
Ngāti POROU EAST COAST: Perrin Manuel( vc), JorianTangaere, Myles Lardelli-MuirTawa, Gabe Te Kani, Trent Boswell-Wakefield, Hone Haerewa (c), Moana Mato, Hoani Te Moana, Sam Parkes, Te Rangi Fraser, Ngarohi McGarvey-Black, Ma'a Nonu, Tawhao Stewart, Teina Potae, Hamuera Moana. Reserves: Peter Mirrielees, Mike Chambers-Raroa, Richard Green, Paddy Allen, Verdon Bartlett, Tipene Meihana, Rico Gear.
