Rugby: Queen's Birthday tradition revived

Magpies assistant coach Danny Lee. PHOTO/FILE

One of the Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby team's traditional Queen's Birthday fixtures will be revived on Monday after a 13-year hiatus.

Although the Magpies played Wairarapa Bush in the first of their Ranfurly Shield defences last year, when they take on the Bush in Masterton on Monday it will be the first time the two teams have met at Queen's Birthday since 2003.

Before that the Magpies played either Wairarapa Bush or Poverty Bay on Queen's Birthday on a regular basis.

One year the Magpies squad was even split in to two teams to take on both provinces.

"Obviously we won't have our Super players. We're taking a squad of 27 players down for the match and it will be an opportunity for a lot of the club players in our wider training group to put their hand up and get a taste of the next level," Magpies assistant coach Danny Lee said.

Lee, who is in charge of the Magpies while head coach Craig Philpott is in England as an assistant coach with the Baby Blacks at the Under-20 World Cup, said all of the 27 would still be available for club play today.

Nine contracted Magpies are in the squad and a further three - winger Mason Emerson, utility back Lewis Marshall and halfback Ellery Wilson - are being rested.

Most of the in-form club players have been given the opportunity to play, including the co-leaders of the MVP competition, Hastings Rugby and Sports second five-eighth Neria Fomai and Clive No 8 Lucas Goodin who will get game time off the pine.

Promising Napier Old Boys Marist halfback Zac Donaldson will start in the No 9 jersey.

He is one of two members of last year's St Pat's Town 1st XV which won Wellington's College Premiership who are in the squad.

Lock-loosie Hannon Brighouse will get game time off the subs bench and the third member of their school team who came to the Bay, loosie Jack Nelson-Murray, is injured.

-Magpies team for the match on the artificial turf in Masterton: Star Timu, David Benson, Matt Garland, Neria Fomai, Ethan Prichard, Tianua Poto, Zac Donaldson, Joseph Penitito, Ben Hamelink, Matt Gardiner, Trent Boswell-Wakefield, Sanaila Waqa, Tolu Fahamokioa, Jorian Tangaere, Jason Long.

Substitutes, forwards: Logan Ede, Mark Braidwood, Jarvy Aoake, Tamatoa Higgins, Ben Parsons, Hannon Brighouse, George McPherson, Lucas Goodin.

Backs: Chris Eaton, Dan Snee, Cole Eru, Shannan Chase.

-Injured: Mason Kean, Max Fryatt, Jack Nelson-Murray, Tiaan Falcon.

-Not required: Joe Simeon, Hugh Graham, Ben Taylor, Tom Bywater, Kody Lancaster, Sean Skeet.

-Unavailable: Pouri Rakete-Stones, Kaleb Whakataka.

-Rest: Mason Emerson, Lewis Marshall, Ellery Wilson.