Wai-Bush player makes mark with golden boot

Little wonder Glen Walters is enjoying his debut season with the Wairarapa-Bush Heartland Championship squad.

A former Kuranui College first XV player who now works as a land surveyor in Lower Hutt and plays his club rugby in Wellington for Hutt Old Boys Marist, Walters, 24, has emerged as the star act in a team at the head of the points table after four wins from five games, and on track for a place in the Meads Cup semifinals.

It is a far cry from last year, when they won just one match and finished 10th of the 12 sides.

As a goalkicker, Walters has been a phenomenal success. He has landed 20 penalties and 11 conversions. Add those to his two tries and his points tally totals 92.

That gives him an average of just over 18 points per game, which means he must be an odds-on chance to bring up his 100 when Wairarapa-Bush confront King Country in Taupo tomorrow.

To put his achievement in perspective, Wairarapa-Bush have scored 140 points overall and the next highest contributor is winger Cameron Hayton with 15 points from three tries.

The unassuming Walters, who represented Wairarapa-Bush in various age-group sides while at Kuranui College, jumped at the chance to play for the combined unions in the Heartland when asked some weeks ago.

"I've always had a good feeling for the Bush, so I was more than happy to have a crack and it's been great ... they are a great bunch of guys and have made it really easy for me. I'm enjoying every minute of it."

Watching Walters consistently turn his goalkicking opportunities into points on the board, it is difficult to believe there was a time earlier this season when he was relieved of those responsibilities by Hutt Old Boys Marist because his success rate wasn't good enough. But slight changes in technique, which included shortening his run-up to just two or three paces, got things back on track, and he hasn't looked back.

Another plus for Walters has been his versatility, with Wairarapa-Bush moving him between first-five and fullback, and while first-five is his preferred position, he is "quite happy" to play wherever he is put. "I don't really mind, you get given a job and you do it the best you can," he said.