Wairarapa-Bush are very unlikely to meet anything like a full strength Manawatu side in their non-championship rugby match at Memorial Park, Masterton next Wednesday. This is because Manawatu are scheduled to play Northland on Tuesday and players involved there will almost certainly not be required to play two games in asmany days. For Wairarapa-Bush coach Peter Russell though the make-up of the Manawatu side is of only minor consequence with his main interest centring on the performance of his own players. Obviously he would like them to chalk up their first win of the 2005 season but with an eye to their main objective, the NPC third division competition, the result of the game is of secondary importance. "We're now at the stage where we need to start seeing players perform well both individually and collectively," he said. "We need to know which combinations work best and games like this can be a big help in that respect." Russell is optimistic that a number of players who missed the match with Hawke's Bay B on Monday through injury hassles will be ready to take the field against Manawatu. Among them are captain Mike Robinson, Sam Henderson, Rob Dick, Joe Harwood and Richard Carroll, all of whom would have to serious contenders for the NPC line-up. Whether the two Fijian locks who have been sourced to play for Wairarapa-Bush this season will actually arrive here still remains a $64,000 question. Russell is happy that everything possible has been done from this end for that to happen but he is unsure the same could be said for those purportedly working on their behalf in Fiji. "Honestly I don't know where we stand now," Russell said. "We're still hopeful of a positive outcome but right now I couldn't guarantee that will happen." The Wairarapa-Bush coach is satisfied though that clubs throughout the region have a good understanding of what is required to make his team a competitive unit when the new national first division competition gets under way in 2006. "We had a meeting with club reps this week and everybody seemed keen to do what they can to assist in that regard," he said.
