Bay and Naki under pressure

The first scrum whistled in Tauranga today could well provide a telling insight into which way this match will go.

Taranaki's vaunted front row of Gordon Slater, Andrew Hore and Tony Penn will butt shoulders and rub heads with Simms Davison, Aleki Lutui and a chastened Ben Castle.

During the week Castle reacted angrily to Canterbury assistant coach Rob Penney's assertions last week in the Herald on Sunday that he cheated at scrum time in the failed Ranfurly Shield challenge.

"We know Ben Castle has habitual problems coming in on the angle when the pressure comes on," Penney said.

Castle responded in turn to the Bay of Plenty Times, saying: "Rob Penney must be a bit agitated about the penalty count they got."

Castle won't find much purchase in a Taranaki front row that includes the immovable force Slater and, paying homage to that fine old rugby mantra, this game will be won or lost in the tight five.

For both, it needs to be won.

Bay have had a horror start to the NPC after last year's heroics, dropping both games away to Otago and Canterbury. It was a difficult first-up draw but means that, already, Taranaki is a must-win for them.

The amber and blacks, too, need victory after a first-up loss to Waikato and a comfortable win in the annual 'gimme' against Northland.

Chris Masoe returns to the Taranaki side at openside today but it is another player who will be watched with interest at Western Bay Finance Stadium. If BoP get hurt by the opposition first five, there'll be a few 'what ifs' and 'what might have beens' thrown around.

Bay of Plenty born-and-raised Todd Feather, 26, was odds on to join the Bay last year but a broken foot suffered playing for the Queensland Reds ruled it out.

Feather, a much-travelled rugby man, scored the winning try for the Reds versus the Blues last year but broke his ankle. His older brother Campbell is a Taranaki stalwart currently playing for Ulster.

After his foot healed, Feather took a contract with Bayonne in France, famed for French winger Patrice Lagisquet - the Bayonne Express - but never settled, drifting back to Taranaki where he attended secondary school.

For Bay of Plenty, David Johnston gets his first NPC start.

Johnston replaces another former Waikato player, Filimone Bolavucu, on the right wing.

Bay Of Plenty

Adrian Cashmore, David Johnston, Hayden Reid, Grant McQuoid, Anthony Tahana, Murray Williams, Charles Hubbard, Colin Bourke, Nili Latu, Wayne Ormond (c), Bernie Upton, Mark Sorenson, Ben Castle, Aleki Lutui, Simms Davison. Reserves John Pareanga, Taufa'ao Filise, Paul Tupai, Matua Parkinson, Garrick Cowley, Reuben Parkinson, Filimone Bolavucu.

Taranaki

James Hilgendorf, Sailosi Tagicakibau, Andrew Suniula, Lifeimi Mafi, Orisi Belau, Todd Feather, James King, Chris Masoe, Joe Lawn, John Willis, Jason Eaton, Paul Tito (c), Gordon Slater, Andrew Hore, Tony Penn. Reserves Lawrence Corlett, Hamish Mitchell, Tomasi Soqeta, Scott Breman, Scott Ireland, Sam Young, Craig Fevre.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY