Masterton Red Star will be fielding a team in the Wairarapa-Bush senior first division rugby competition this coming season. The Rams were a late withdrawl from the premier grade last year due to a shortage of players, but new coach Wayne Loader says they will be fronting up in 2005 Currently theyhave a squad of 16 with others expected to join up once their summer sporting committments have ended. "We don't exactly have huge numbers right now but hopefully things will pick up over the next week or two," Loader said, "We're not too badly off for forwards but we could certainly do with more backs." Many of those who turned out for Masterton Red Star in senior third division play last season will be part of their first division side this time round. Some have played at the top club level before including forwards Nathan Haglund and Hemi Hart and halfback Marcus Henson. Indications are that 10 teams will contest the senior first division competition this season with Masterton Red Star being joined by Marist, Pioneer, Eketahuna, East Coast, Gladstone, Carterton, Puketoi, Martinborough and Greytown-Tuhirangi. Competition games will get underway a week earlier than usual on March 26 with a grading round no longer being played in the first division series. It will now consist of two full rounds of matches followed by a semi-final and final.
