Teko under cloud

Record breaking try scorer Esava Teko is a doubtful starter for Wairarapa-Bush in the NPC third division semi-final rugby match with Mid-Canterbury at Memorial Park, Masterton on Saturday.
Teko, whose seven tries are the most scored by a Wairarapa-Bush player in any one season at third division level-almost doubling the previous best of four-is being troubled by a pinched nerve in his neck.
He was likely to have it X-rayed this afternoon.
Also on the doubtful list for the Mid-Canterbury match is young lock Dan Joblin, who has literally come on in leaps and bounds over the past month or so.. He was hobbling around on an ankle injury at training last night.
Coach Peter Russell is optimistic that both Teko and Joblin will be fit to play a full part in Saturday's game if required.
"They still have a few days to go and they are the sort of injuries which can come right in a hurry," he said. "Hopefully that will be the case"
If, however, Teko can't play he will be replaced in the starting XV by fellow Fijian
flier Jorgi Tamani while Joblin's replacement will be Dan Griffin, who has shaped well in his debut season at this level.
In addition three players from the Wairarapa-Bush B team which have completed their representative programme have been brought into the A squad to cover any further injury problems. They are flanker Cory Reid and utility backs Ben Couch and Glen Bunny.
Russell said the emphasis at last night's training session was on rectifying the poorer aspects of play in Wairarapa-Bush's 26-22 win over Mid-Canterbury in the last of their preliminary round games at Ashburton last weekend.
"We worked hard on ball retention and on continuity,"he said. "We have to protect possession better and we have to be more patient in our attacking play. If we have to go six or seven phases before we can move the ball wide then that's what we have to do."
Russell was impressed by Mid-Canterbury's structured play at the rolling maul in the Ashburton game and wants Wairarapa-Bush to be more aggressive in their defence in that area.
And he said too that the Mid-Canterbury backs had exposed Wairarapa-Bush on the outside break on occasions and that too was something which had to be put right.
Russell knows Mid-Canterbury, who were relegated from second division at the end of last season, will be every bit as desperate for the win on Saturday as his own team and is anticipating another close finish.
"I wouldn't think there will be a lot in it - perhaps the home advantage will be enough to get us there," he said.
Certainly statistics suggest that Memorial Park has become a happy hunting ground for Wairarapa-Bush. They have won all three of their NPC matches played at home this season.
Russell said having the opportunity to play a semi-final in front of their own supporters had always been a prime objective for the current Wairrapa-Bush squad and they were keen to repay the local sporting community for the faith and loyalty they had shown in them over the 2004 season.
" They know the sort of enjoyment their supporters would get from a win in a game of this importance and they are determined to deliver," he said.
If Wairarapa-Bush do beat Mid-Canterbury and go on to play either Poverty Bay or Horowhenua-Kapiti in the grand final they would then be facing the prospect of qualifying to play at second division level in 2005.
Russell said both management and players were "dead keen" to earn promotion to the higher grade.
"Getting to second division is now an achievable goal for us and we are going for it," he said. "Obviously the competition there would be more intense but we'd love to have the chance to take it on."