RUGBY
Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union has unveiled its Turanga Development and under-20 squads in preparation for the 2021 campaigns.
It’s a big development squad this year, with 24 forwards and 13 backs named in the initial squad, with six extra players having u20 commitments before they become available.
The team will also be bolstered by Heartland players who are not named in the team, to still give them game time at the representative level.
The team will be co-coached by Ken Houkamau, Colin Skudder, Pat Kaliopasi and Josh Willoughby.
It will be interesting to see if having four coaches without a leader results in too many cooks in the kitchen, or gives them more scope to develop players’ skills.
Skudder says it’s an exciting squad, with several players who will be pushing for selection in the Heartland team.
The announced squad is so large to account for the traditional drop-off of the player base in the representative season, he said.
The team’s first training is on August 10, just ahead of their first game of the season against Tuwharetoa on August 21. They will then play Whanganui Development on August 28 in an away game, with a final game against Turanga Pasifika on a date to be confirmed.
The Poverty Bay U20s have less than two weeks to prepare for their first game of the season after the squad was named this week.
The squad will be hard at work training this week to prepare for their July 31 game against Wairarapa Bush u20s in Napier.
The team will then have just a week to iron out issues before they play games on back-to-back days at the New Zealand Rugby Sports Institute before the Hurricanes announce their u20 Heartland squad.
A first-up match on August 7 against Whanganui is followed on August 8 by a game against Horowhenua-Kapiti before the announcement of the Hurricanes squad that evening.
The team have a wealth of experience in the management staff,k too, with former Ngati Porou East Coast coach Wayne Ensor and former High School Old Boys captain James Warren signing on to lead the team from the sidelines.
Simmy Akurangi, Blake Beard, Nic Carrizo, Campbell Chrisp, Eroni Delana, Stefan Destounis, Sam Hudson, James Hughes-Lock, Siaosi Kafalava, Tulsa Kaui, Viliami Kavai, Ihaia Kerr, Kupu Lloyd, Ngahiwi Manuel, Tanielu Misikosi, Koli Halaifonua, Tristen Morten, Salesi Niuvao, Moui Paongo, Geoff Pari, Wirihana Raihania, Hickson Raroa, Duran Smith, Paula Tatafu.
Xavier Bartlett, Mosese Bulicakau, Louis Devery, Jimmy Downes, Anthony Karauria, Jack Lewis, Karl Mackie, Kyle Rhodes, Matt Rutene, Hayden Stuart, Leroy Taiapa, Manase Tupe, KC Wilson.
Lyric Baty-Akurangi, Winston Folau, Nico Lauti, Nash Mouton, Ricardo Patricio, Blayze Taylor.
Gabriel Doull, Isaiah (Moko) Kiwara, James Law, Liam Ngerengere, Manaia Tuari, Nehe Papuni, Niko Lauti, Sam Middleton, Setefano Tolu, Tane Ruru, Tyla Taumata, Viliami Moaati, Winston Folau.
Benito Barry, Blayze Taylor, Bryan Howard, Elijah Munro, Genesis Tamatea, George Twigley, Isaiah Lemaua, Lyric Baty-Akurangi, Nash Mouton, Tuhakia Stewart, Von Huata.