Bush players felled by flu

Sickness has severely disrupted the preparation of the Wairarapa-Bush rugby team for their vital Heartland championship match with Buller at Memorial Park on Saturday
Numbers taking an active part at Tuesday's training session were the lowest all season with coach Kelvin Tantrum reporting that "seven or eight" players were on the sick list , most of them with 'flu-like symptoms.
With Wairarapa-Bush needing to beat Buller to have any chance of earning a spot in the Meads Cup playoffs the latest hassles could not have come at a worse time but Tantrum is "pretty hopeful" everybody will be on deck for the weekend"We're not pushing the panic button yet but, yes, it is frustrating....very", he said.
Not surprisingly,however, Tantrum was loathe to name a likely starting line-up for Saturday with question marks hanging over the health of so many of his squad, including no fewer than three of his front rowers.
The biggest talking point in recent days, of course, has been the shoulder injury which forced star first-five Byron Karaitiana from the field at halftime during the 13-12 loss to Horowhenua-Kapiti in Levin last weekend.
Karaitiana himself is determined to play against Buller but while Tantrum admires his
pluck he says he will only have the ace goal kicker in the side if medical assessments say he is fit enough to be there.
"Obviously we'd like to have him but at the same time we have to do what is best for Byron and that's something we'll have a better idea on within the next 24 hours," Tantrum said.
There is no clear favourite amongst those who could be in the reckoning for the first-five berth if Karaitiana can't play with possibilities including Sele Tugaga, Nathan Couch, Jason Kjestrup and Chris Osborne.
Tantrum and co-selectors Neil Foote and Steve Hurley seem certain to bring arguably their most dangerous attacking back, Junior Togia, into the starting XV for the Buller match on the basis that an act of individual brilliance might be needed to produce a victory, and Togia's unorthodoxy could be a major assist in that regard.
If that happens, however, one of their other three "loan players", halfback Nick Risdon, centre Siaosi Anamani or flanker Joss Tua-Davidson, will have to be left out and while it is been Tua-Davidson who has drawn the short straw in the past it would surprise if that was the case on this occasion. Buller pride themselves on the ruggedness of their pack and Tua-Davidson's confrontational approach will supposedly be needed to help quell their fire.
While much has been made of Wairarapa-Bush's need to win on Saturday to have any prospect of making the Meads Cup playoffs it should be noted that Buller are in pretty much the same boat.
If they pick up a bonus point win over Wairarapa-Bush and Wanganui beats West Coast without the latter earning a bonus point then Buller would join Wanganui and Horowhenua-Kapiti as the three pool A sides to play off for the premier Heartland trophy.
Buller made the Meads Cup section last year and were just one point away from making the semi-finals. Interestingly enough one of their pool wins came in Masterton ,the 11-8 success making them the first Buller side to have ever beaten Wairarapa-Bush on home territory.