Vaan Rauhina will start in the front row for Wanganui Development against Wellington Under-19 tomorrow. PHOTO/FILE
Vaan Rauhina will start in the front row for Wanganui Development against Wellington Under-19 tomorrow. PHOTO/FILE
The Wanganui Development team will look to their senior men to lead the way in their pre-season representative game against Wellington Under-19 at Spriggens Park on Saturday.
Captained by Border's Kieran Hussey, the team contains four players with Pink Batts Heartland Championship experience - the key man being Ratana captainVaan Rauhina with 54 caps for his province since 2001 and a former Meads Cup winner.
The 32-year-old Rauhina narrowly missed Heartland selection after coach Jason Caskey and the selectors opted for the youth movement by elevating Kamipeli Latu and Viki Tofa, while also converting Pirates captain Lasa Ulukuta into a front-rower.
The other players with Heartland experience are Kaierau's first-five Areta Lama, who played 21 games between 2002-2013, Ratana's utility back Aaron Paranihi and Border winger Sailosi Naqiso (both seven games in 2008 and 2013).
Ulukuta's 21-year-old brother Sikeli, the top points-scorer in Premier club rugby for Border, has been named at flanker.
