Putting best foot forward

Experience will count: Waikohu second-five Tane McGuire attempts to tackle and contain Pirates halfback CJ Fox in their clash in the second round at the Oval. Pirates take on OBM at the Oval tomorrow and kickoff is 2.45pm. Picture by Paul Rickard

Injury can be a great leveller.

All premier-grade teams in Poverty Bay club rugby have had to do without key players at times this season.

Ngatapa lock Dan Law (right wrist) and OBM loosehead prop Lance Dickson (right knee) come to mind.

OBM are still without first-choice No.10 Austin Brown and now they are without their first five-eighth from last week, the totally committed Braedyn Grant.

But they will put their best foot forward against Pirates at the Oval tomorrow.

Such is the enthusiasm of OBM's Jordan Kingi — so mobile and involved — that he will move from the second row to openside flanker.

Outstanding athlete Gabe Te Kani will start at No.8 and captain Rikki Terekia, a two-try hero last week against defending champions GT Shearing Waikohu, will play second five-eighth again.

The Clint Pirihi-coached OBM have a 6-8 record and beat Pirates 37-0 the last time they met, on May 21.

Pirates' injury status overall is difficult to gauge but the absence of towering lock Kyah Hollis, who suffered a head knock last week, is unfortunate for them.

Hollis's work at the lineout has been as valuable to the hard-fighting Pirates as star second-five Solomoni Rasari's ability to finish, or the service given by halfback CJ Fox-Campbell.

Captain and hooker Bernard Nepe's props tomorrow will be Harmony Hauraki-Downes on the loosehead and scrum-anchor Axel Campbell; it is a strong trio.

Nepe's enthusiasm for his Buccaneers is as infectious as Terekia's for OBM.

Terekia acknowledges that OBM will have to make adjustments in light of injury concerns and he has a healthy respect for the club next door.

“From what I've seen, Pirates are very good from broken play,” he said.

“We have to make absolutely sure that we keep our defence tight.”