Inside back combo needed for Wairarapa-Bush

Their inside back resources remain a question mark after Wairarapa-Bush's first two non-championship rugby matches this season.
The 49-0 loss to a Wellington XV last month and the 79-0 defeat by Hawke's Bay on Monday have highlighted the importance of good decision making from halfback through to second five-eighth.
Wairarapa-Bush have clearly struggled in that sphere through the absence of old hands Hamish McKenzie, James Bruce, Patrick Rimene and Nathan Couch, who all played such a key part in the union's winning of the NPC third division title in 2005 and the inaugural Heartland championship last year.
McKenzie and Bruce shared the halfback duties then with Rimene at first-five and Couch at second-five and between them they gave Wairarapa-Bush that vital component of experience in those crucial positions.
Whether any of the quartet will front up for Wairarapa-Bush this season is still a matter of conjecture.
McKenzie is currently in the South Island but is apparently considering a return north, Bruce is unsure of his availability due to work commitments and both Rimene and Couch are still pondering their involvement ? if any ? on the representative scene.
The loss of Gladstone utility back Matt Easton, who is heading overseas, hasn't helped the situation either.
He made a fair fist of the first-five role against the Wellington XV and would have been a useful understudy, at least, there but he is now out of the equation.
And yet to be judged are the capabilities of Puketoi first-five Jason Liverton to perform on a higher stage as while he was named for both the Wellington XV and Hawke's Bay matches injury kept him sidelined.
Wairarapa-Bush co-coach Graeme Cheetham admits the hunt for an inside back combination capable of "running the show" is perhaps the major area of concern leading into his team's next non-championship game against Manawatu at Memorial Park, Masterton on June 19.
"Right now we do lack decision makers there and that has been exposed," he said.
"Our kicking game, especially, has been pretty average and we've struggled with our option taking. It's something we need to work on, that's for sure."
Cheetham was "reasonably happy" with the Wairarapa-Bush display against Hawke's Bay, a match in which replacement prop Brendan Walker was the only member of last season's Heartland championship-winning squad to take the field.
With the game being accorded first-class status each side was allowed to play only 22 players and, remarkably, 18 of those playing in the Wairarapa-Bush line-up were new caps, surely a record for the union, and the old Wairarapa and Bush unions as well!
Cheetham praised his forwards for their competitiveness against much bulkier opposition at scrum time, an area in which Gladstone youngster Kurt Simmonds again made a big impression.
He had stints at both tighthead and loosehead prop and coped well in either role.
The lineout though was a somewhat different kettle of fish with the taller Hawke's Bay forwards spoiling some of the Wairarapa-Bush throws there but again there were plusses in the high workrate against the odds of Corey Reid and Dan Griffin.
In the loose too Wairarapa-Bush earned good marks for their enthusiasm with flanker Solly Alsop leading the way in the absence of the injured Mike Spence, who was to have captained the side.
Taking over as skipper was winger Jorji Tamani and he seemed to relish the responsibility, impressing with his keenness on both attack and defence. He and fullback Dan White were clearly the pick of a Wairarapa-Bush rearguard again missing the all-round skills of midfielder Simanu Simanu, who is recovering from a bout of pneumonia.
Cheetham and his coaching partner Lofty Stevenson are hopeful that Simanu, Spence and well-performed lock Tomasi Kedarbauka ? also missing on Monday because of injury ? will be back on deck for the Manawatu match but Cheetham says, them apart, the squad for that game is likely to be little different from that for the Hawke's Bay game.
"The new guys have been on a huge learning curve and they haven't done too badly all things considered," Cheetham said. "The more experience they get now the better they should be later on."