There are 10 new caps including two Manawatu players in the final 26-strong Steelform Wanganui rugby squad named for the 2013 Pink Batts national Heartland championship campaign.
New selectors Karl Hoskin and assistant Danny Rolls have included former Wanganui national secondary schools' loose forward Doug Horrocks (Te Kawau) as a Player of Origin and Palmerston North Marist's midfield back Jason Temara as a loan player in the squad to play the NZ Defence Force side at Ohakune next Saturday.
Horrocks, who played for St. George's (2003-04) and Wanganui High School (2005-09) and captained the Wanganui under-16 reps, played for Feilding HS in 2010 and since 2011 has been in the Te Kawau seniors.
Manawatu-educated Temara, an enterprising mid-field back, had five years at Freyberg High School and has played for Kia Toa and OB Marist seniors since 2007.
Big news is that 2009 NZ Heartland rep Lasa Ulukuta, the 2010 and current Wanganui MVP club winner, returns to Heartland rugby after an absence of three years.
Rampant Ulukutu has been an inspirational, lead-from-the-front No8 and skipper of Pirates this season.
After helping Wanganui win the Meads Cup in 2009 as an aggressive No8, he played centre in a Ranfurly Shield challenge against Southland the following year but was injured and has been out of rep rugby since then.
The Greymouth educated and former West Coast Heartland rep is a nephew of veteran Wanganui rep forward Nemia Adrole.
In addition to Doug Horrocks and Jason Temara the other new caps in the Wanganui squad are Border's Fijian wingers Sailosi Nagicu and Aaron Yadiga, Border halfback Lindsay Horrocks, Marton goal-kicking mid-fielder Soonalote Tauailoto, 18-year-old Ruapehu fullback Zyon Hekenui, Ruapehu front rowers Karl Parker and Kim McNaught and Marton prop Lucas Puts.
The most experienced reps are Ruapehu flanker and NZ Heartland Player of the Year in 2012 Peter Rowe (82 caps), who will lead the team, Ruapehu prop Shaun McDonough (51 games), Kaierau fullback Asalemo Malo (47 caps) and Ratana prop Vaan Rauhina (45 games).
Midfield backs Tremaine Gilbert (Taihape - 14 rep matches) and goal-kicker Tautahi Rawiri (Ruapehu) were not considered because of injuries.
The Wanganui Heartland squad with the number of rep gams for the union in brackets is:
Backs: Fullbacks - Zyon Hekenui (Ruapehu - 0) and Asalemo Malo (Kaierau - 47); Wingers - Sailosi Nagicu (Border - 0) and Aaron Yadiga (Border - 0); Mid-field - Robert Hughes (Ruapehu - 1), Pehira Huwyler (Ruapehu - 9), Soonalote Tauailoto (Marton - 0) and Jason Temara (PN Marist - 0); First Five - Areta Lama (Kaierau - 13) and Tom Wells (Taihape - 1); Halfbacks - Josh Edwards (Kaierau - 31) and Lindsay Horrocks (Border - 0).
Forwards:No 8 - Lasa Ulukuta (Pirates - 10); Flankers - Andrew Evans (Ruapehu - 41), Bradley Graham (Marist - 3), Doug Horrocks (Te Kawau - 0), Jason Hughes (Ruapehu - 12) and Peter Rowe (Ruapehu - 82); Locks - Nick Cranston (Ruapehu - 20) and Sam Madams (Border - 2); Props - Shaun McDonough (Ruapehu - 51), Kim McNaught (Ruapehu - 0), Lucas Puts (Marton - 0) and Vaan Rauhina (Ratana - 45); Hookers - Karl Parker (Ruapehu - 0) and Roman Tutauha (Ruapehu - 1).