Syms eager to stay in Bush hotseat

FITNESS RACE: So'otala Fa'oso'o making play against East Coast. He is expected to be fit for the Meads Cup semi. PHOTO/FILE

WAIRARAPA-Bush head rugby coach Josh Syms is keen to keep the job next season.

Speaking ahead of his side's Heartland championship Meads Cup semifinal match with South Canterbury in Timaru on Saturday, Syms said he had enjoyed his first year in the role and "would love" to do it all over again in 2016.

"Obviously it's not my decision to make but if the union wants me I'm available."

The reappointment of Syms after a season in which Wairarapa-Bush made significant improvement on their 2014 results would seem a matter of course.

Their fourth placing on the points table at the end of the qualifying rounds of the Heartland competition was seven places better than they had managed the previous year and has given them the chance to snare the premier title.

That will happen if they upset top qualifiers South Canterbury this weekend and the winner of the other Meads Cup semi between Mid-Canterbury and Wanganui eight days later.

Syms accepts "practically all of New Zealand" will consider South Canterbury, winner of their last seven matches, as virtually a past-the-post proposition against Wairarapa-Bush and he believes that could work in his team's favour.

"For us it's all about creating pressure rather than feeling it.

"We've actually played some of our best rugby when we've seemingly had our backs to the wall and this is just another one of those times."

Syms said it will be vital Wairarapa-Bush do not repeat a trend which has become a frustrating part of their play - starting slowly and allowing their rivals to put early points on the board.

"We have to get out of the blocks quickly and maintain the momentum all the way through, anything less and it could be a long day at the office."

While not wanting to be too specific about tactics, Syms agreed the onus would be on the Wairarapa-Bush forwards to ensure they won their own ball in the set pieces and do everything in their power to spoil, or at least slow, the possession won by the home side. That way the dangers posed by a South Canterbury backline blessed with a good mix of size, strength and pace would be restricted to some degree.

"It's no secret we have to do everything we can to reduce the attacking opportunities for their backs, that's a key element for us."

The Wairarapa-Bush starting line-up will not be named until after tonight's training session. Optimism is high that No8 So'otala Fa'oso'o will be sufficiently recovered from the knee injury suffered against Wanganui last weekend and the side will be little changed from the one which started that game.