PROVEN: Kingi Kaiwai's good form at club level has been rewarded.
A wide net has been cast in the naming of the Wairarapa-Bush rugby squad to play a non-championship fixture against fellow Heartland side Horowhenua-Kapiti at Featherston on May 31.
Head coach Mark Rutene and assistant coach Paddy Gough have included a host of new faces in a 31-strong line-up which will be reduced to "about 24" for the match itself.
Perhaps the most interesting are a couple of front rowers, Heinrich Terblanche and Adam Johnson.
South African Terblanche is a specialist prop tipping the scales at around 120kg. He made his first appearance for Carterton when they went down to Pioneer at the Jeans St grounds in Masterton last weekend.
Johnson is an Englishman who normally plays at hooker. He will debut for Martinborough this weekend.
"We have heard some good things about these guys and it makes sense to give them the chance to show they are capable of performing at a higher level," Rutene said.
Greytown utility forwards Regan Pope and Gareth van Dalen, impressive in their team's narrow victory over Eketahuna in the top-of-the-table Kapene Cup fixture at Eketahuna last Saturday, are also being given the opportunity to take the step up, as are Carterton prop Jacko Hull, Marist lock Kieran O'Brien and loosies Hamish Walker (Eketahuna), Rima Marurai (Pioneer) and Kahn Fruean-Walker (Greytown).
The most notable selection in the backs is clearly former Canterbury representative Sam Monaghan, who has been starring for Eketahuna this season in the No 10 jersey.
Greytown's Kingi Kaiwai is another inside back whose good form at club level has been rewarded, while the midfielders include newcomers Teihana Brown (Greytown) and Robbie Anderson (Eketahuna).
Carterton outside back Cory Carmichael, who played for the champion Ruapehu side in last season's Wanganui premier competition, is there as well.
The full training squad is:-
Forwards: Kurt Simmonds (Greytown), Lance Graves (Gladstone), Jacko Hull (Carterton), Heinrich Terblanche (Carterton), Richard Puddy (Gladstone), Adam Johnson (Martinborough), Sam Marshall-Wilson (Eketahuna), Regan Pope (Greytown), Andrew McLean (Gladstone), Gareth van Dalen (Greytown), James Goodger (Marist), Johnnie McFadzean (Carterton), Rima Mururai (Pioneer), Kahn Fruean-Walker (Greytown), Kieran O'Brien (Marist).
Backs: Zeb Aporo (East Coast), Inia Katia (Gladstone), Joseph Sio (Greytown), Sam Monaghan (Eketahuna), Tipene Haira (Martinborough), Kingi Kaiwai (Greytown), Byron Karaitiana (East Coast), Tapaga Isaac (Greytown), Teihana Brown (Greytown), Robbie Anderson (Eketahuna), Nathan Hunt (Martinborough), Cameron Hayton (Gladstone), Paul Tikomainavalu (Eketahuna), Nick Olson (East Coast), Cory Carmichael (Carterton).
Two other non-champion games have been organised for Wairarapa-Bush, against Manawatu on August 2 at a venue still to be confirmed and against Poverty Bay at Masterton on August 9.
Their Heartland draw is: August 23, v King Country at Taupo; August 30, v Mid-Canterbury at Masterton; September 6, v South Canterbury at Timaru; September 13, v Poverty Bay at Masterton; September 20, v Horowhenua-Kapiti at Levin; September 27, v Thames Valley at Masterton; October 4, v Wanganui at Wanganui; October 11, v Buller at Masterton.