One change for the Coast

FOLLOW ME, BOYS: Ngati Porou East Coast prop Pera Bishop takes on Poverty Bay blindside flanker Fawn White. Bishop has support from lock Adaam Ross (headband) and hooker Wyntah Riki. Bay lock Micaiah Torrance-Reid is next on the Bishop hit list.All are in action tomorrow. The Coast are away to Mid Canterbury. Poverty Bay are at home to Thames Valley. Picture by Paul Rickard

NGATI Porou East Coast coaches Troy Para and Wayne Ensor have been forced to make one change to the 22-man squad who came close to toppling Poverty Bay last week — for tomorrow’s Heartland Championship rugby game against Mid Canterbury at Ashburton.

An injury to blindside flanker Rikki Kernohan in the Bay match means he will not travel.

Skipper and lock Hone Haerewa will wear the No.6 jersey, while Hoani Te Moana, who replaced Kernohan last week, takes the place of Haerewa at lock.

Trent Proffit comes on to the bench for what will be a testing game for the Coast.

Their last visit to the South Island two weeks ago resulted in a 100-7 hammering by South Canterbury at Timaru.

However, the Coast team that day bore no resemblance to the side who blew a golden opportunity to end their five-year wait for a Heartland Championship victory before going down 26-19 to Poverty Bay.

The Coast were without five regulars for the South Canterbury clash and, with the lack of depth in the squad, they were always going to be on a hiding to nothing.

“We’ve got three tough games — this one, Wanganui at home, then West Coast away,” Ensor said.

“It would have been a good morale-booster for the boys to be going down there (Ashburton) having had a win.”

Unfortunately for the Coast, they cannot expect Mid Canterbury to show any mercy.

They are eighth on the table, on 12 points along with Wairarapa Bush (seventh) and Poverty Bay (ninth), and all are battling to stay in the hunt for a top-four spot. So Mid Canterbury will want a bonus-point win.

“We were proud of the last week’s performance,” Para said.

“It was heartbreaking to come so close to winning. We felt for the boys. They had worked so hard to be in a position to win, then let it slip.”

NGATI POROU EAST COAST (1-15):Pera Bishop, Wyntah Riki, Perrin Manuel, Hoani Te Moana, Adaam Ross, Hone Haerewa (captain), Jack Richardson, Maxwell Buchanan, Sam Parkes, Benny Haerewa, Jayden Milner, Teina Potae, Verdon Bartlett, Epeli Lotawa, Morrison Siliko. Reserves: Dan Knubley, Tim Barbarich, Scott Lasenby, Trent Proffit, Fabyan Kahaki, Ngarangi Haerewa, Vern Parkes.