Heartland rep action heads to Masterton

POWERHOUSE: Kurt Simmonds is a strong contender to be selected for the Heartland XV. PHOTOS/CHRIS KILFORD

THE 2015 New Zealand Heartland rugby team, which is expected to be announced today, will play the first of their three matches on the artificial turf at Memorial Park in Masterton.

The first game will be the annual fixture against the New Zealand Marist XV and will kick off at 6pm on Saturday, November 7.

The next two matches for the Heartland team will be against Australian Barbarians, the first of them at Levin on Tuesday, November 10, starting at 5.30pm, and the second on Friday, November 13, at Cook Gardens in Wanganui, starting at 6pm. They will be tough assignments with the Australian Barbarians being chosen from players playing in their competitive national rugby championship.

WBRFU chief executive Tony Hargood said the November 7 match would provide another opportunity to showcase the new-look Memorial Park venue which has hosted four Heartland competition games this season.

"We're absolutely delighted the New Zealand union has seen fit to give us a game of this importance and we're confident the public will get right behind it," he said.

After making it through to the semifinals of the premier Heartland competition, the Meads Cup, and going down narrowly, 25-21, to top seeds South Canterbury at Timaru last Saturday, Wairarapa-Bush have several serious contenders for places in the New Zealand Heartland squad, among them forwards Kurt Simmonds, Lachie McFadzean, James Goodger and Chris Raymond and backs Cody Whittaker and Tim Priest.

Hooker Andrew Makalio's consistently outstanding form would have made him a near certainty but he is not eligible through playing for Wairarapa-Bush under the "import" proviso.

Grant Keenan, in his first year as Mid-Canterbury head coach, will fill the same role for the New Zealand Heartland team. The 37-year-old has also had four years coaching in Japan for Toyota and before that coached one of Auckland's most powerful club sides, Ponsonby, as well as the Auckland B squad. Assisting Keenan with the coaching responsibilities will be Mutu Ngarimu of Poverty Bay. Ngarimu has played for the New Zealand XV, the predecessor to the Heartland XV, the Maori All Blacks and Hawke's Bay.

Last year the Heartland team which toured the Cook Islands was coached by King Country's Kurt McQuilkin with South Canterbury's Chester Scott his assistant. McQuilkin moved back to Ireland to take up a coaching role with Leinster while Scott's services were not retained by South Canterbury.