Hona persuaded to wing it

Jonah Lomu did it, and so did Eric Rush. Now Jason Hona is hoping his transition from loose forward to wing will pay similar dividends.
The New Zealand sevens player will start on the left wing for a Bay of Plenty XV against Poverty Bay in Gisborne tomorrow, just a month after making the shift at club level.
Steamers coaches Kevin Schuler and Steve Miln, conscious of Bay of Plenty's plethora of small, pacy wingers, convinced the 1.90m, 98kg Hona to have a crack out wide for Rangataua during the first round of Baywide rugby.
The laid-back Hona didn't exactly jump at the chance but he certainly didn't need to think twice.
"I played a few games there last year while waiting for shoulder reconstruction but I was really just mucking around _ you know forwards all reckon they can do better than the backs," Hona said.
"But the furthest I got out into the backline before that was halfback, back when I was 13.
"The hardest thing has been going from one of the fastest forwards in the country in my position to being pretty average out on the wing but at the moment it's going well.
"I didn't expect it to be so easy, though I have been working pretty hard on my speed."
Schuler is convinced Hona, who turns 21 next month, will continue to grow into the position, having already scored three tries for Rangataua in a handful of games.
"He's had a good crack at it since he made the shift and we're giving him a run up at the next level to see if he's got the goods," Schuler said.
"He's quick for a forward and the trainers are quite confident he can get even quicker."
Hona missed out on the latest leg of the IRB sevens series after carrying an ankle injury into last week's training camp.
He did, however, manage to record a 4.93sec standing 40m time at testing, giving physio Paul Cameron all the kudos for some superb strapping.
Now he's fit again and hoping to make his mark against Poverty Bay.
"I'm slowly learning but it will be a test to see if I can get into the right positions and keep a high work rate."
Tomorrow's match sees several top club performers being given a chance, including impressive Whakarewarewa first-five Kelly Haimona and Te Puke wing Alan Jarvis-Cook.
Jarvis-Cook scored two tries against Mount Maunganui in the weekend, taking him to nine for the season and leading the competition with teammate Wayne Hughson and Whakarewarewa loose-forward Seigfried Fisiihoi.
There will also be interest in the locking stocks, with Mount's Glenn Minnell and Tauranga Sports' Culum Retallick hoping to convince selectors they're capable of filling the glaring void in that position in the Bay.