Simmonds to captain Heartland rep team

Gladstone prop Kurt Simmonds will captain Wairarapa-Bush in their non-championship rugby fixture with Otago Country at Memorial Park, Masterton tomorrow, and for the remainder of the season as well.
Wairarapa-Bush coach Kelvin Tantrum has been delighted with the leadership skills shown by Simmonds in the three games played by Wairarapa-Bush already this season, including the Ranfurly Shield challenge against Wellington.
"I think he (Simmonds) has grown into the job really well, it hasn't affected his own game and he is obviously enjoying it," Tantrum said.
Tomorrow's match with a formidable Otago Country side, which is on a brief North Island tour, is one of three matches to be played in successive weekends before Wairarapa-Bush kicks off their Heartland championship campaign.
And it will be vital those involved take the opportunity to impress as, Simmonds apart, the Heartland squad will be named early next week.
Tantrum expects Otago Country to be especially strong up front, as befits teams from that part of the country, and he is keen to see how Wairarapa-Bush fare in the battle for possession in the crucial set pieces of lineout and scrum.
"It's going to be interesting to see what the best combinations are there, we've got a few options to try and we will be taking the chance to do that."
None of the likely front rowers will attract more attention than Ben Pereira, who seems certain to be Wairarapa-Bush's "origin player" in the Heartland competition.
He is currently the number three hooker in Otago and has played for them at first-class level in the past.
A former member of the Wairarapa College first XV, Pereira is a powerful scrummager and a punishing runner with ball in hand and he should certainly add oomph to the forward effort.
Pereira is not, however, by only means the only pack member in the Wairarapa-Bush squad with the running skills to make a decent impact in broken play.
Others who slot into that category include Tomasi Kedrabuka,, Brandon Young, Joss Tu-Davidson and Duncan Law.
News that Masterton Red Star flanker Chris Senior is the latest addition to the Wairarapa-Bush side comes as no surprise because of the excellence of his club form and it
will be interesting to compare his effort against that of Jared Hawkins, who has also been in commanding form.
In the backs it will be first-five Byron Karaitiana who comes most under the microscope after his match-winning performance for Masterton Red Star in the premier division club final last Saturday.
Karaitiana controlled that game with the aplomb of a player much older in years but he did have time on his side and the test from him now is to show he can perform equally as well under sustained pressure.
Named as understudy to Karaitiana at first-five has been his clubmate Sele Tugaga, who will be having his debut match for the union.
He too has a strong kicking game and, like Karaitiana, isn't afraid to have a dab on his own too.
Wairarapa-Bush will also want convincing efforts from the likes of Sam Mitchell, and Heemi Tupaea in midfield - both of whom had quiet games in the club final - while Jordan Watene will be wanting to cement a place on the wing.
He was also part of the Masterton Red Star squad which won the club title but hardly got to touch the ball all game and will be hoping for a much heavier workrate here.