Wairarapa-Bush rugby coach Kelvin Tantrum has a problem to solve leading into his team's first three non-championship matches against a Wellington invitation XV (Tuesday, May 20), Hawke's Bay (Monday, June 2) and Manawatu (Tuesday, June 10). From the 31-man squad Tantrum initially named to prepare for those games the obvious midfieldback combination had Marist's Nathan Couch at second-five and Gladstone's Heemi Tupaea at centre but both are already out of contention, Couch because of work and personal commitments and Tupaea because of a wrist injury. It's a situation which has left Tantrum looking for adequate replacements from amongst the local club scene and he admitted yesterday he had yet to arrive at a solution. "We've got a few alternatives in mind but right now I couldn't say which way we will go," he said. "Ideally you do like to have some bulk in the midfield because of the physical nature of the exchanges there and obviously that's something we will need to take into consideration." The decision of experienced Greytown lock Norm Henricksen to withdraw from the rep squad because of work commitments is also disappointing to Tantrum because he would have been pressing hard to be Toimasi Kedrabuka's regular partner in the middle row. That will probably now be a battle between Dan Griffin of Eketahuna and Andrew McLean of Gladstone. Injury will also mean the likely first choice openside flanker in Jared Hawkins of Martinborough will be sidelined from at least the Wellington match and his Martinborough teammate, prop Jeremy Sargent, is apparently in the same boat. On the plus side last year's Club Player of the Year, Pioneer No.8 Nathan Rolls, has been added to Tantrum's squad after recovering from the injury hassles which saw him make a late start to the 2008 season. Tantrum has been pleased with the enthusiasm shown by squad members in training runs held last Wednesday night and Sunday morning with the emphasis being on developing a pattern of play best suited to their capabilities. "Doing the basics well is the key this early in the season,, we need to get them right before we start looking further ahead," he said.
