Rugby: Canterbury depth paves way to final

Robbie Fruean is battling an injury heading into the ITM Cup final. Photo / Getty Images

It is a reflection of provincial rugby's place in the New Zealand landscape that only three players who played in Canterbury's 2008 national provincial championship final are in the squad for this Saturday's ITM Cup showpiece game against Waikato in Hamilton.

All Blacks commitments, players moving offshore and an increasingly long Super Rugby campaign have taken their toll on a side looking to win their fourth-straight national championship.

Outside back Sean Maitland, discarded All Black prop Wyatt Crocket and flanker George Whitelock make up the trio who were part of the 7-6 victory over Wellington four years ago.

It is something of a triumph, then, that Canterbury coach Rob Penney has kept Canterbury at the top of the New Zealand tree. He said the changing face of the squad represented one of the challenges they were up against each season.

"In four years we've obviously had a turnover of 20-odd players,'' he said.

Members of last year's triumphant Canterbury team who beat Waikato had only a month off before joining the Crusaders' pre-season programme. Many of those players weren't then available to Pennery until close to the ITM Cup kickoff because of the Crusaders' incredible run to the Super 15 final.

Penney said it had been tough to get the players up for the games and Maitland, Willi Heinz, Robbie Fruean and Ash Parker were all battling niggling injuries this week.

"We are pretty sore and pretty exhausted, so it's been a really difficult process to try and get our boys back in to the mental frame of mind to play a final,'' Penney said. "But that's our main concern at the moment.''

Canterbury have had the luxury of playing the last two finals at home after they won on the road in 2008, but Penney said his team would have to lift one more time on Saturday.

"Hamilton's a really difficult place to win. We've had a bit of success there in the past with [Ranfurly] Shield games but we've had our fair share of losses there as well. I don't think it's going to be an issue for us in terms of the travel but they'll be highly motivated and excited about playing at home and it might lift their intensity a bit more.

"We'll have to play the best game of our season to compete and, who knows from there? We'll just see what happens. I'm not predicting a result either way, really.''

As for his own coaching future, Penney said that was "yet to be decided'', as there were no Super Rugby positions available in a head coaching or assistant's role.