Rugby
By Gary Caffell
Injuries and work commitments have decimated the Wairarapa-Bush squad for their Steel Cup representative rugby match with Wanganui at Wanganui tomorrow.
Forwards Nathan Iro and Campbell Lawrence and backs Inia Katia, Tapaga Isaac, Nathan Hunt, Teihana Brown and Nick Olson are all likely to miss a game which will be Wairarapa-Bush's last serious hit-out before they kick off their 2013 Heartland Championship campaign in early August.
"It's not unusual to have two or three players on the doubtful list but seven ... I haven't struck that many before," Wairarapa-Bush head coach Mark Rutene told the Times-Age yesterday. "I guess it's one of those times when everything has happened at once, there's not a lot we can do about it."
Rutene is still optimistic, however, that Wairarapa-Bush will give a strong account of themselves in what is a repeat of last year's Meads Cup semifinal, won by Wanganui who went on to lose to East Coast in the final. Wairarapa-Bush was hugely competitive in that match and Rutene sees no reason why that shouldn't happen again.
"Obviously, it would have been nice to have everybody on deck but, even so, we'll be fielding a team which is capable of doing well. We're still happy with what we've got."
Rutene and assistant coach Paddy Gough won't finalise their starting line-up until the 11th hour but it seems certain a couple of Wellington "imports", Finbarr Kerr-Newall and Damian Smith, will be at prop. Kerr-Newall, from the Old Boys University club, was one of the stars in the win over United States Collegiate a few weeks back and a Heartland spot seems his for the taking while Smith, a "big unit" from the Wests club, will be wearing the Wairarapa-Bush jersey for the first time. Scrummaging is said to be his long suit.
Gladstone's Richard Puddy will probably start at hooker although the decision by rugged Bush Sports rake Jamie Hunt to again make himself for representative play does add spice to that position while Clark Butcher (East Coast) and Lachie McFadzean (Carterton) seem the logical choices for the middle row.
Nothing is logical about the loose forward trio, though, with Johan van Vliet (Eketahuna), Johnie McFadzean (Carterton), James Goodger (Marist), Rimataei Marurai (Pioneer) and Joss Tua-Davidson (Eketahuna) all contesting places. Van Vliet, Goodger and McFadzean started against United States Collegiate but the odds are that at least one of them will be stood down here to give the talented youngster Marurai a start on the flank. Tua-Davidson, a former Wairarapa-Bush skipper who is on the comeback trail after a season off, is more likely to come off the reserve bench early in the second spell.
In the backs, Zeb Aporo (East Coast) and Glen Walters (Greytown) appeal as the obvious inside combination and the prospects are that Byron Karaitiana (East Coast) and Paul Tiko (Carterton) will be in midfield.
That would leave Cameron Hayton (Gladstone) and Tavita Isaac (Greytown) to take up the wing berths and with Olson likely to be sidelined Dylan Bennett (Bush Sports) could have the inside running for the fullback spot.