Getting down to it

TOUGH GOING: YMP prop Nehe Papuni has his progress halted by two High School Old Boys players in an opening-day match that ended 48-25 in YMP’s favour. Tomorrow HSOB take on Ngatapa at Patutahi at 3pm. YMP have a table-top clash with OBM at Barry Park at 2.45pm. Both games could go either way.Picture by Paul Rickard

RUGBY by Jack Malcolm

Things are starting to heat up in premier-grade rugby as teams shake off the cobwebs and begin to work out where they stand.

With two wins from two games, Enterprise OBM are on top of the Civil Project Solutions premier-grade leaderboard with eight points.

East Coast Farm Vets YMP are two points behind on six. GT Shearing Waikohu, on five points, are nipping at YMP’s heels after beating them last weekend. Larsawn Ngatapa are on two points after a bye and a first-up loss. Contract Consultants High School Old Boys had a bye last weekend and have yet to get any competition points.

Tomorrow, table-topping OBM and YMP face off at Barry Park at 2.45pm and Ngatapa take on HSOB at Patutahi at 3pm. Waikohu have the bye.

In four games over the past fortnight, all the teams have shown they are capable of winning games.

OBM have shown they are a different proposition from the team that could manage only one win last year, while HSOB are the only team to have lost by more than 20 points (the next-highest margin is four).

Given the depth of the HSOB playmakers, it is hard to make sense of where they stand, but that is on the result of only one game.

Waikohu and Ngatapa have looked to start their seasons where they left off last year, with varying success. Both teams clearly have the strength in numbers to be contenders this year. Time will tell.

As the season develops and injuries take their toll, the teams who cope best with the game’s ups and downs are likely to be contesting the Lee Brothers Shield at the end.

Tomorrow, OBM will want to keep their composure under the pressure that is typical of YMP, says coach Clint Pirihi.

“It’s going to be a hard game,” he said.

“YMP are not going to give an inch, and we’re going to have to earn it.”

He said the key to victory would be winning the battle up front to secure clean ball for their backs.

“Our forwards have to lead the way and set the platform. We’ve got to keep our cool and our discipline.”

YMP coach Brian Leach said they would have some positional changes in the backline. Andrew Tauatevalu would go from centre to fullback, and Te Peehi Fairlie from left wing to second five-eighth.

With Niko Lauti out after a serious hip injury last week, the loose-forward make-up would also be changed.

Fawn White would be shifted from No.8 to blindside flanker, Isaiah Leach would go from blindside to openside flanker and Willis Tamatea would go in at No.8.

This week YMP have been fine-tuning their structure and set-piece execution to get clean ball to the backline.

Ngatapa coach Stephen Hickey said it was exciting to have both their senior one and premier teams playing in Patutahi.

Last weekend had been a rude awakening to the pressures of premier grade rugby, but they were ready for the challenge of HSOB tomorrow.

The new Ngatapa players were an exciting addition to the team, he said.

“The team will remain largely unchanged from last week.”

HSOB coach Danny Boyle said they had had several new players who had shown up “out of the blue” in the past couple of weeks.

He said HSOB would have “pretty much” the same line-up as the team that faced YMP in Week 1, with the backline shuffling around.

Korey Love will start at first five-eighth with Hayden Stuart outside him in second-five. Sam Middleton moves into fullback.

Boyle expects a good game, with HSOB focusing on getting their set-piece right and “playing a game that involves all 15 players”.