Buckman upbeat about new Highlanders role

HIGHLANDERS-BOUND: Star Magpie Richard Buckman will join Ged Robinson at the Highlanders in 2014, though not on full contracts.PHOTO/FILE

Fans of Hawke's Bay Magpies centre Richard Buckman have every right to feel he has been ripped off with his Highlanders Super Rugby wider training group selection.

On his ITM Cup Championship form alone this season, the 2012 Hurricane deserved a full contract. Buckman's selection can be compared with drawing the "Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to jail" card in the game of Monopoly.

However, Buckman, a 2011 and 2013 Hurricanes wider training group member, is upbeat about his Highlanders role.

"It will be a bit of a change from the Hurricanes. These days a wider training group contract isn't much different from a full one ... I'll be down there fulltime and I've got a chance to push my case. I'm looking forward to it," Buckman said.

Like fellow Magpie and former Hurricanes hooker Ged Robinson, who has also been named in the Highlanders wider training group, Buckman will travel down to Dunedin at the end of November. Otago All Black Ben Smith, former Force player Winston Stanley and Manawatu's two-time New Zealand under-20 rep Jason Emery are the fully-contracted centres in the Highlanders squad.

"There's a few classy centres there who I can learn stuff from and push my case against at the same time," Buckman said.

The 24-year-old former North Island representative was rapt to receive the Magpies season MVP award last weekend. This award was voted by his teammates and Magpies management.

"To have my peers think I played pretty well is a bit of an honour," Buckman said.

Magpies head coach Craig Philpott agreed Buckman had been hard done by with the Super selections announced on Wednesday.

"If I was a Super Rugby coach I would have picked him," Philpott said.

Philpott also thought Magpies forward of the year, prop Brendon Edmonds, was unlucky not to gain a wider training group contract at least.

"I know Brendon was on the short list for a couple of wider training groups. He made massive gains this year particularly with his scrummaging on both sides ... I'm sure next year will be his in terms of Super selection," Philpott said.

Overall Philpott was reasonably happy with the Magpies haul of Super players - 10 on full contracts and two in wider training groups.

"In terms of players selected in New Zealand teams we're about mid-table and that's a reflection of where we finished the season."

Hawke's Bay had seven players selected in New Zealand teams. Canterbury had 30, Wellington 25 and Auckland 22. Otago and Taranaki had 11 while Counties-Manukau and Bay of Plenty had nine. The Magpies also had three players selected for Aussie teams, prop Max Lahiff and winger Telusa Veainu by the Melbourne Rebels and halfback Alby Mathewson for a second season with the Force.