Whanganui rugby: Whanganui need to lift against resurgent Mid Canterbury in Heartland Championship match

Captain and flanker Jamie Hughes, who played his 75th first class match for Whanganui last weekend, will need a big game against Mid Canterbury. Photo / NZME

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For the first time in this 2024 Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship campaign, Steelform Whanganui will have a completely unchanged starting XV as they make the long haul down to Ashburton on Saturday.

This is the crucial two-week juncture at the halfway point of the competition - playing consecutive away fixtures between second versus third place on the table - with Whanganui’s starters surprisingly all coming through intact from last Saturday’s bruising Bill Osborne Taonga victory over Thames Valley.

Having survived that baptism of fire, the side will have to lift again to face a resurgent Mid Canterbury, who similarly have a 3-1 record this campaign with their only loss being the derby fixture with the indomitable South Canterbury.

“We had a little bit of a plan with [personnel]. Last week, everything we planned happened,” said coach Jason Hamlin.

“This week, while it’s good to have that continuity, it’s with the bench being different when they come on.”

The squad has seen three changes in the reserves, one of them forced as Hawke’s Bay import lock Reuben Allen suffered a concussion while defending during the dying moments of the Thames Valley clash, going on stand-down alongside already-sidelined winger Lafo Takiari Ah Ching.

This could likely reopen the door for apprentice player Joseph Abernethy, who made his Heartland debut a fortnight ago against Buller.

Also returning from the Buller game in a straight swap with Kahl Elers-Green will be halfback Eben Claassen, taking the reserve spot behind Griffin Culver, with Claassen likely to become the latest player to earn his Whanganui blazer for his 15th appearance.

Coming in for Mitai Hemi, Luke Whale will officially be the outside back reserve, but given Whale’s ability to literally play anywhere from forwards to backs, and be a workman or playmaker, Hamlin will decide where he slots in depending on the situation required in the game.

“As we’ve said earlier in the year, he’s a Swiss army knife.

“Just another opportunity for him to show what he can do.”

While Hamlin was delighted with the work rate in the game with Thames Valley, holding back the home side to maintain their two-point lead deep into injury time even with just 13-14 players in the defensive line, the side needs to be grabbing points when presented with chances, especially at an intimidating location like the Ashburton Showgrounds.

Since Heartland started in 2006, Mid Canterbury hold a 5-3 winning record over Whanganui on their home field, including the last two visits in 2021 and 2017.

“She’s a hard place to go and win, and they’ve been close games there too,” said Hamlin.

“We could have played our game better [last weekend] and, if we do that, we give ourselves every opportunity.

“[Mid Canterbury] are a tough enough team, let alone playing them down there.”

Needing to have another big match will be flanker and captain Jamie Hughes, who clicked over the important milestone of playing his 75th first class game for Whanganui last Saturday.

Since coming on as a reserve in the 2016 Ranfurly Shield challenge to Waikato, Hughes has played 57 games as a starter, 18 off the bench, and scored 12 tries worth 63 points (three of his 2016 tries were six-pointers).

He has played 67 Heartland games, four Ranfurly Shield challenges and the four “friendly” games in the 2020 Covid season.

Hughes won Meads Cups in 2016-17 and the 2021 Lochore Cup.

The team fly out of Whanganui to Christchurch on Friday afternoon, and will then take the bus just over an hour down State Highway 1 to Ashburton.

Kickoff on Saturday is 2pm, slightly earlier than usual.