Hawke's Bay's rugby academy side back in action

Hawke's Bay's best will be pushing for places in the Hurricanes Under-20 squad. Photo / Supplied

After a lost year in 2020, the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union academy team had their first fixture of the season on Saturday in Palmerston North.

They drew 26-all with hosts Manawatū's academy side, the first game of a tri-series that includes the Wellington Rugby Union as well.

The fixtures will go a long way to determining who is selected for this year's Hurricanes Under-20 team.

"It was about putting them on show and giving them an opportunity," Hawke's Bay academy coach Matt Wyatt said.

He said development was at the forefront rather than the result, with six schoolboys getting a run in black and white.

"Any time you put on a Hawke's Bay jersey a win's important, but our objective for the game was giving them more game time than we usually would, just giving them more exposure for that Hurricanes opportunity," Wyatt said.

That contingent included Jacob Ward, who starred in his first game at lock having transitioned from prop.

"He has shown huge potential, probably one that the Hurricanes will want to keep an eye on and see how he progresses in that position, and picks up the new skillset," the coach said.

He added that forwards Tiaki Fabish and Frank Lochore and backs Jordan Thompson-Dunn and Harry Godfrey should be in the mix for the Hurricanes squad.

George Stratton was fantastic in midfield, Wyatt said, but picked up a compound fracture to his leg in the match that required a trip to hospital.

The senior academy players came together for a camp in Wairoa three weeks ago.

Their next game is against Wellington in two weeks.

Last year the academy team got only one fixture in before Covid saw all Hawke's Bay representative programmes except for the Magpies and Tui cancelled.