The Canterbury team which plays Steelform Wanganui in the first Ranfurly Shield game of 2017 could have a distinctly local flavour with no less than four expats named in the wider squad.
On Wednesday, Canterbury head coach Glenn Delaney announced a 31-man squad of non-Crusaders for the mid-season Shield defencesagainst Wanganui on June 21 and Mid Canterbury on August 4.
Among them are Lincoln University's Jack Stratton, Brett Cameron and Jonathan (Jonno) Osborne, as well as Sumner's Poasa Waqanibau.
"We have named an exciting squad to kick off our 2017 season, with a mixture of returning talent and 19 players in the side who are yet to make their first-class Canterbury debut," said Delaney.
"These players have impressed the coaching group for their respective clubs this season and we look forward to giving them the opportunity to wear the red and black jersey.
"The history of the Ranfurly Shield provides a lot of motivation for our group and we know that both Wanganui and Mid Canterbury will be tough opponents leading in to our Mitre 10 Cup campaign."
All four players were well known Wanganui rugby talents, and were also named in the initial Canterbury RFU extended squad for the 2016 season.
Stratton and Waqanibau would be the two most likely to make the final match-day squad for the Wanganui game.
Halfback Stratton, who was also the NZ Universities captain this season, comes from Taihape and played Manawatu age grade representative rugby while at Feilding High School.
He has now earned 16 first class caps for Canterbury, as well as playing for the Crusaders Development team.
Midfielder Waqanibau, the former Fiji Under 20's representative, made landfall in Wanganui for the 2015 season with Waverley Harvesting Border, and went on to become an integral part of the march to Meads Cup victory.
He is remembered specifically for his three offloads during the 105m 'Try of the Year' in the final against South Canterbury.
Waqanibau then shifted south to join the Canterbury RFU's academy system, and made his Mitre 10 Cup debut off the bench against Otago at AMI Stadium on September 24 last year.
Brett Cameron
Cameron, the former Cullinane College first-five, played both age group representative rugby and cricket for Wanganui, as well as making the Active Physio Wanganui senior cricket team.
He was chosen in the inaugural nationally-chosen Catholic School 1st XV, while being spotlighted for Hurricanes development camps and has trialled for both the New Zealand Secondary Schools and Under 20's teams.
Lock forward Osborne, a product of Whanganui High School and then the Wanganui Collegiate 1st XV, also attended Hurricanes camps while playing club rugby for Kaierau and Marist.
Wanganui's June 21 challenge is on a Wednesday night at AMI Stadium, with a 7.35pm kickoff.
