Waihi snapshot for coaches

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

RUGBY

All is about to be revealed.

Ngati Porou East Coast aim to hit the ground running in their pre-season game against Thames Valley at Rugby Park, Waihi, tomorrow.

The match will give Coast coach Wayne Ensor a snapshot of where players — especially loan players — might fit in.

“I want to have a look at three loan players who are outside backs — Sailosi Vatubua (North Harbour), Epeli Lotawa (Morrinsville, Waikato) and Morris Siliko (Ponsonby, Auckland) — and give our local boys who haven’t played for a while a run,” Ensor said.

He is keen to see new captain Hone Haerewa show leadership, while old hands such as player-of-origin Perrin Manuel (Taradale, Hawke’s Bay) will give the Coast a hard edge up front.

“I’m really impressed with our forwards — Wyntah Riki, Scott Lasenby, Rikki Kernohan, Jack Richardson,” Ensor said.

“Troy Para (assistant coach) and I will also make sure that our bench players rotate and get game-time. That’s very important to us as a group.”

The match at 3pm in Waihi tomorrow will be the last pre-season game for both teams.

Thames Valley coach Matt Bartleet will have interesting things to consider.

Lance Easton, 38, a veteran of 65 representative games, has played the greater part of his rugby on the right wing, at centre and at fullback. At some stage tomorrow he will move to the front row, as he did in the Valley’s 43-19 win against a Taranaki development side at Hawera last Saturday.

“Last week we played well,” Bartleet said.

“We kept them out for the first 20 minutes, then we scored three tries in a row. It was a glorious day for rugby.”

Bartleet will have tighthead prop Sergio Felipe, of Chile, and hooker Shin Ouchi, of Japan, among those on the bench.

“The Coast boys don’t take a backward step,” Bartleet said.

“We’ve got to stop them clicking and never give them space. But if we do . . .”

The referee will be 34-year-old former Black Fern first five-eighth Rebecca Mahoney, of Wairarapa-Bush.

NGATI POROU EAST COAST, 1-23: Hakarangi Tichborne, Wyntah Riki, Perrin Manuel, Scott Lasenby, Adam Ross, Rikki Kernohan, Jack Richardson, Hone Haerewa (captain), Sam Parkes, Ngarangi Haerewa, Fabyan Kahaki, Mangu Kemp, Sailosi Vatubua, Epeli Lotawa, Morris Siliko. Reserves: Tim Barbarich, Te Teira Maxwell, CJ Fox-Campbell, Benny Haerewa, Teina Potae.