Saturday win the key to second round bonuses

OLDFIELDS Wairarapa-Bush still have unfinished business going into their Heartland championship rugby match with Mid-Canterbury at Ashburton on Saturday.
Winning all four of their games to date has them at the head of the pool A points table and guarantees them a place in the top six playoffs but more prizes are in store if they pick up maximum points this weekend.
It would mean two of their three playoff games against the top three sides in pool B would be played at Memorial Park, Masterton , including that against likely pool B leaders Wanganui.
And with competition points attained in pool games being carried over to the playoffs it would very probably mean that Wairarapa-Bush would need to win just one of their playoff matches to make it through to the semi-finals.
No surprise then that Wairarapa-Bush coach Peter Russell said his side was now treating the Ashburton match as the most important of the season to date.
"There is a lot hanging on the result of it, and not just for us," he said.
"They (Mid-Canterbury) very likely need to win to make the top six so they have plenty to play for as well."
Mid-Canterbury go into the game on nine points, behind Wairarapa-Bush on 17 and North Otago on 15. and ahead of East Coast 6, Buller 5 and West Coast 5.
So if they fail to gain any competition points against Wairarapa-Bush they could be overtaken by all three of the teams behind them.
Their main dangers though would be appear to be Buller and West Coast, who clash at Greymouth, as it is difficult to imagine East Coast troubling North Otago in their match at Oamaru.
The Wairarapa-Bush starting XV for Saturday's match is likely to be exactly the same as that which initially took the field in the 19-18 win over North Otago last weekend.
Experienced midfield back Nathan Couch was forced to leave the field with a rib injury at halftime in that game and doubts had been expressed about his chances of being fit enough to play in Ashburton.
However, a medical report suggests the injury could be cleared by Saturday and therefore Couch, who is the main playmaker in the backline, will be travelling south.
Russell is hopeful too that players like Mike Robinson, Tomasi Kedarabuka, Junior Togia, Brodie Duffin and Duncan Rutherford, who all missed training on Tuesday night because of 'flu or a stomach bug, will be fully recovered by the weekend.
"We've taken the precaution of having them stay at home rather than come to training just in case the illnesses spread but we're pretty confident they'll all be on deck and ready to play ," he said.
Russell said Wairarapa-Bush's game plan on Saturday would revolve around their forwards out-muscling Mid-Canterbury , much as they did against North Otago.
"The more hard work we have them doing in the scrums and the rucks and mauls the better it will be for us," he said. "Once we have taken the steam out of them up front we can start moving them around and hopefully create a few gaps out wide."
Russell expects Mid-Canterbury to take a leaf out of the North Otago book and look to attack Wairarapa-Bush through their backs.
He said the reasons why North Otago's rearguard had often penetrated the first line of defence had been discussed at length at Tuesday's training session and it was clear that a tendancy by the Wairarapa-Bush backs to push up too quickly in defensive situations was a major part of the problem.
"By doing that we left ourselves open to being exposed by the long pass and North Otago used that tactic well," he said. "It's not something which can't be easily rectified though, it shouldn't be a worry on Saturday."
A likely Wairarapa-Bush starting XV is: Peato Lafaele; Francis Seumanutata, Simanu Simanu, Nathan Couch, Junior Togia; Patrick Rimene; Hamish McKenzie; Mike Spence; Sylvanus Iro, Mike Robinson, Tomasi Kedarabuka., Sam Henderson; Dylan Higgison, Joe Harwood, Albertus Buckle. Reserves: James Bruce, Dancan Rutherford, Mike Shaw, Brett Rudman, Brendon Walker, Langi Peters, Brodie Duffin.