Ferocious defence an imperative for victory

More of the same will be the catch-cry for Wairarapa-Bush as they strive to seek the win which could give them a home semi-final in their Heartland rugby championship Meads Cup playoff match with Wanganui at Wanganui tomorrow.
The Wairarapa-Bush camp know it will take an effort of the same magnitude as that which ended North Otago's unbeaten run last weekend to better a Wanganui side still to guarantee themselves a place in the semis.
For Wanganui then this is a game of test match proportions and they will be intent on claiming at least a semblance of revenge for their defeat at the hands of Wairarapa-Bush in the Heartland grand final last year.
The 2007 season has been very much a case of mixed fortunes for Wanganui but, worryingly for Wairarapa-Bush, their last couple of games have suggested they are currently on the way up.
A fortnight back they had the mortification of suffering a last-minute 21-19 defeat at the hands of a Mid-Canterbury side which had, of course, convincingly beaten Wairarapa-Bush earlier on.
Wanganui had two tries ruled out on that occasion and were hit by a massive penalty count which saw them concede 18 to Mid-Canterbury's three.
Needless to say the referee who controlled that match, Southland's Shane McDermott, was not exactly Wanganui's best friend at the game's end.
Last weekend saw Wanganui in a must-win situation against King Country at Te Kuiti if a semi-final spot was to remain a possibility and they answered the call in commanding fashion, winning 36-11.
As if that was not a big enough boost to Wanganui's confidence going into tomorrow's match the good news continued early this week when highly-regarded hooker Sean Ratima reported fit after missing the King Country match because of the badly bruised ribs he had suffered in the Mid-Canterbury game.
Ratima is sure to be at the forefront of a Wanganui pack whose mobility is said to be one of their greatest strengths.
They are very adept at the "pick and go" and the rolling maul and therefore it will be imperative that the Wairarapa-Bush defence in those areas is as tenacious as it was against North Otago last weekend.
In fact, tenacious hardly does it justice, ferocious would be a better description of the manner in which they made their tackles in that particular game.
Happily too the North Otago match suggested that the problems which Wairarapa-Bush have experienced at scrum time through most of the season may have been solved.
They were clearly superior to their opposition then but tomorrow will tell us whether their significant improvement was due at least in some part to North Otago's inadequacies in that department.
A stable scrum is important for Wairarapa-Bush as it not only makes life easier for halfback Hamish McKenzie but it also gives their loose forwards the opportunity to combine in attacking plays from that avenue.
No.8 Mike Spence and flanker Nathan Rolls were superb in that respect last weekend, invariably getting themselves over the advantage line and setting up prime second phase possession for their supports.
The North Otago game represented Rolls's first appearance for the Heartland team this season and he had a blinder, providing an excellent third option at lineout time behind Tomasi Kedrabuka and Dan Griffin and being just as proficient on defence as he was on attack.
Last weekend's match saw the Wairarapa-Bush backs in a different light too as with their forwards in such dominant form they had a steady supply of quality possession to play with, and generally they utilised it well.
Particularly pleasing was the astute tactical direction of inside backs Hamish McKenzie and John Dodd and it will be a huge plus for their side if they are given the chance to have the same influence on proceedings tomorrow.
For sheer consistency Dodd, the Manawatu "import", has been one of the real success stories of the Wairarapa-Bush Heartland campaign with nothing about his game impressing more than his coolness under pressure
Dodd's goal kicking too has been a definite asset and it would be no surprise in a game as tight as tomorrow's is likely to be to find that making the difference between victory and defeat.
A thought given more credence by statistics which show that Wanganui are a team which have conceded about nine penalties per match so far this season, enough to have a kicker of Dodd's calibre keenly awaiting this particular game.
The Wairarapa-Bush team is: Simanu Simanu; Lance Stevenson, Heemi Tupaea, Jon Guillard, Jordan Fox; John Dodd; Hamish McKenzie; Mike Spence; Nathan Rolls, Dan Griffin, Tomasi Kedrabuka, Jared Hawkins; Brett Rudman, Joe Harwood, Shane TeMana. Reserves: Zeb Aporo, Tapaga Isaac, Jared Bambry, Sully Alsop, Josh Mackey, Mosese Gutuvakaca, Brendan Walker.
Memorial Park
The Wairarapa-Bush senior B's will face what coach Steve Thompson expects to be their sternest test of the 2007 season when they play Wellington Maoris A at Memorial Park, Masterton, tomorrow with kick off at 1pm.
The B's have had some excellent results over the past few weeks but Thompson saw enough of tomorrow's opposition in their game with a Tasman-Bays side last weekend to suggest they will give his side plenty to think about.
"They've got a big, mobile pack and slick backs, it'll be a big challenge for us," he said.
The likely starting line-up for the B's is: Ryan Hardman; Dave Drummond, Phil Aporo, Kingi Kaiwai, Tavita Isaac; George Williams; James Bruce; Nathan Iro; Patrick Cassidy, Wills Clinton-Baker, Tim Fleming, Marcus Totman; Blair Gardner, Richard Puddy, Lee Paku. Reserves: Thomas Te Kani, Nick Olson, Russell Tamihana, Kyle Karaitiana, Willie Leota, Joe Nuku, John Stevenson.