Rutene out to lift fitness levels

The addressing of fitness levels will be a major priority for Mark Rutene now that he has been reappointed head coach of the Wairarapa-Bush Heartland championship rugby squad for 2012.

Rutene believes the patchy form shown by 10th-placed Wairarapa-Bush in his debut season in the head coaching role this year was due in no small part to many players initially having fitness issues and he is determined that won't happen again.

"Our top players have to realise they can't rely on club rugby to get them fit, they have to be prepared to do the hard yards well before that," Rutene said before disclosing that he intends to organise pre-season training such as gym work by early next month.

"We want everybody up to speed by the time club rugby starts, that's the aim."

Rutene is also hopeful the first of the pre-Heartland games next year - they only had one in 2011 - can be staged as early as May so he and whoever is his assistant coach can get an early gauge on the talent available to them locally, in terms of their fitness and their skills.

"The sooner we know where any deficiencies could be the better, that way we can focus on getting them sorted out well before the championship games."

Rutene had former Wairarapa-Bush rep Steve Thompson as his assistant coach for the 2011 Heartland campaign but he won't be continuing in that position next year.

WBRFU chief executive officer Phil Taylor said Thompson had been informed he would have to give up the role of assistant coach if he was intending to continue coaching the Gladstone club's premier side that won the senior first-division title last season and Thompson had elected to stay with Gladstone.

"The union believes that anybody coaching the Heartland team should be fully committed to that side," Taylor said, adding it was only the timing of the appointment process that had allowed Thompson to fill the two roles this year.

"We made it pretty clear that would be a oncer so he (Thompson) was aware of what was going to happen.

"He's very passionate about Gladstone so we fully understand and support his decision."

Taylor said the WBRFU was now advertising for an assistant coach and it was intended Rutene would have a say in the selection process, something Rutene has said he is comfortable with.