Sevens: Wanganui training squad named to prepare for Central

After playing for the Wanganui and Heartland Hurricanes Under 20's, Shaquille Waara is among the players named for the Wanganui sevens wider training squad.

After the disappointing showing at the 2018 Bayleys National Sevens, the Wanganui sevens programme is getting serious with a 29-strong wider training squad already announced over two months away from the Central 7's qualifying tournament.

Under coaches Ace Malo and Isireli Baleitavuki, the players are invited to have their first get-together this Monday at the Kaierau Country Club, and they will training on Monday and Wednesday evenings going forward.

A number of them will have other representative duties beforehand, with eight of the players named currently in the Steelform Wanganui Heartland squad while Timoci 'Jim' Seruwalu is on loan to Horowhenua-Kapiti.

Malo and Baleitavuki showed they are willing to think outside the box with the inclusion of speedy Fijian Emitai Logadraudrau, who has spent 2018 playing rugby league for the Whanganui Boxon and then the Manawatu Mustangs, where he was a try scoring machine.

After a season playing league, Emitai Logadraudrau has the chance to switch to union sevens.

Only three of the players currently named attended the 2018 nationals in Rotorua back in January – Seruwalu, Ethan Robinson, and Seko 'John' Kilisi.

Previously, the Wanganui wider squad was chosen after the Settlers Honey Wanganui Club Seven's tournament, which this season is scheduled for November 17 at Marton Park.

However before that, Wanganui hope to take a squad to an as yet unnamed tournament on November 3, followed by the Wellington Invitational Sevens the following Saturday.

The players will then rejoin their club teams for the Wanganui Club sevens the next Saturday, then a Wanganui squad will go to the Piri Weepu Invitational Sevens in Wainuiomata on November 24th, a popular tournament which the Ngamatapouri club side won in 2015.

Four straight weekends of sevens tournaments should be a solid buildup to the Central Sevens in Levin on December 1.

The Top 5 teams at Central – the Championship semifinalists and the Plate final winner – qualify to go to Rotorua in January, 2019.

Last year, Wanganui won the Plate final in Levin to qualify for the nationals after missing out the season before.

However, at Rotorua in the January 13-14 tournament, where only one other Heartland union squad qualified, the team was overwhelmed by the big boys - losing to Counties Manukau (45-12), Taranaki (42-5), Waikato (45-5), Canterbury (29-10) and Northland (38-12).

Wanganui's best year at nationals was January 2016 when they won the Shield grade after beating Otago and then South Canterbury in the playoffs.

The Wanganui training squad is
Ashton Coates, CJ Stowers, Dane Whale, Desmond Tyrell, Emitai Logadraudrau, Ethan Robinson, Grayson Tihema, Harry Symes, Jack Kinder, Jack Yarrall, Jamie-Lee Robertson, Jason Myers, Josiah Bogileka, Jim Seruwalu, Junior Ainea, Kameli Kuruyabaki, Kaveni Dabenaise, Luke Foster, Matt Ashworth, Nick Harding, Paceli Malanicagi, Pati Leo, Patrick Hiscox, Penijamini Nabainavalu, Samu Kubunavanua, Shaq Waara, Seko Kilisi, Semi Vodosese, Tyler Rogers-Holden.