U18s intend to take game to Australians

Wairarapa-Bush under-18s are intent on taking the game to their opposition when they play the Australian secondary schools rugby side at Memorial Park, Masterton on Friday.
Coach Daniel Grace admits the form of the Wairarapa-Bush side leading into the match has been inconsistent at best but he is confident of them performing well in what will be their most testing assignment of the season.
"Obviously we will be the underdogs but everyone is looking forward to the challenge," Grace said. "You don't get the chance to play a national team very often and we're keen to make the most of it."
Wairarapa-Bush have lost to Wanganui and Horowhenua-Kapiti in Hurricanes competition matches this season but they bounced back with a 15-10 win over Poverty Bay at home last Saturday.
Making that result more meaningful was the fact Poverty Bay had previously beaten both Wanganui and Horowhenua-Kapiti.
Grace believes Wairarapa-Bush have the flair and pace in the backs to place the emphasis on attack against the Australians but he knows those commodities will count for little if the forwards don't compete well in the battle for possession.
"Maintaining a decent structure is important, we have to go out there with a definite game plan and stick to it," he said.
"We have to be physical up front, we can't sit back and let them dictate."
While the composition of the Wairarapa-Bush starting line-up won't be confirmed until after training tonight the likelihood is that Hoani Peacock, who made such a huge impression for Pioneer in senior club rugby this season, will call the shots from first-five.
Peacock is a gifted runner with a solid kicking game as well and the same can be said of Wairarapa College student Corey McFadzean who will be at fullback.
At second-five will be Glen Walters , the Kuranui College player who was the leading scorer in Wellington premier grade secondary schools rugby this season.
Up front big games can be expected from another couple of Wairarapa College players in No.8 Wiremu Grace and flanker Huib van Vliet, Greytown lock Dean MacLennan and East Coast prop Brendan Craw, who played for the Palmerston North Boys High first XV last year.
The Australian side arrived in Masterton last night after a successful two-match tour of Tonga. They beat Tonga Outer Islands 46-6 and Tonga under-18 22-13 after earlier beating their Fiji counterparts 24-18 in the curtain-raiser to the Tri Nations decider between the All Blacks and Wallabies in Brisbane.
They will be using their Masterton match-which gets under way on Friday at 12 noon and will be refereed by Tom Roseingrave as a lead-in to matches against the Hurricanes secondary schoolboys side in Palmerston North on Tuesday, October 7 and the "test" against New Zealand secondary schools at Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth on Friday, October 10.