Red card stands

ADDING SIZE: Micaiah Torrance-Read, seen here against Ngati Porou East Coast, has been drafted into the Poverty Bay Heartland pre-season squad as one of their “players of origin”. File pictures by Paul Rickard

POVERTY Bay coach Mana Otai will be without three players who started last week’s Heartland Championship game against Thames Valley for tomorrow’s must-win match against King Country.

Otai and his squad make the trip to Taupo needing a win to keep their top-eight playoff hopes alive.

That mission, however, will be without Micaiah Torrance-Reid (suspended), Cameron Rowden and Mapa Tuipulotu (both injured).

Torrance-Reid is suspended for four games after being sent off for “stamping” against Thames in Gisborne last Saturday.

Poverty Bay appealed the red card given by Canterbury referee James Munro but a New Zealand Rugby Union judiciary committee backed the decision at a hearing this week.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Bay chief executive Josh Willloughby. “We don’t believe it was intentional. Micaiah stepped back from a maul and the first he knew, a player was lying on the ground behind him when his foot made contact.”

Right winger Rowden and centre Tuipulotu suffered head knocks against the Valley and have been stood down.

Jacob Cook is in for Torrance-Reid, Korey Love has replaced Rowden and Willie McGoon will start in the No.13 jersey.

First five-eighth Kelvin Smith, unavailable last weekend, has returned but will start on the bench after Tom Iosefo impressed in the No.10 jersey against Thames Valley.

The Bay need to win to keep their top-eight hopes alive. Anything less is likely to end their fifth-to-eighth playoffs qualification hopes.

“It’s going to be tough but I’m an optimist,” Otai said. “If we can sustain the intensity, commitment and finishing that we showed in the opening 30 minutes against Thames Valley we’ll be in with a show of winning.

“Our attack is our strength. We had a couple of opportunities to score more tries in those early stages but maybe the boys got a bit carried away, and emotions took over.

“We let them (Valley) back into it and when we had 13 men on the pitch in the second half (Torrance-Reid’s red followed by a yellow to Matt Raleigh), they got a sniff of victory.”

King Country are fifth on the table, one point outside the top four. Victory would seal them a place in the Lochore Cup semifinals while keeping alive their top-four hopes.

POVERTY BAY (1-15): Toru Noanoa, Tamanui Hill (captain) Andrew Petelo, Jacob Cook, Sam McDell, Fawn White, Callum McDonald, Jesse Kapene, Mario Counsell, Tom Iosefo, Korey Love, Anthony Karauria, Willie McGoon, Te Peehi Fairlie, Andrew Tauatevalu. Reserves: Shayde Skudder, Campbell Chrisp, Semisi Akana, Ken Houkamau, Willy Grogan, Kelvin Smith, Oka Sanerivi.