Rugby: Milestone match to open rep season

Regular loosie Trent Boswell-Wakefield will play his 50th first class game for the Hawke’s Bay Magpies rugby team at lock in next Thursday’s Ranfurly Shield defence against Wairarapa Bush in Napier. Photo / File

HB Magpies v Wairarapa Bush Ranfurly Shield

"It's still surreal that I'm about to bring up the 50," Trent Boswell-Wakefield, who made his debut in 2009, said after the Magpies training session last night.

A world under-20 champion with the Baby Blacks in 2009, Boswell-Wakefield, is fine with the positional switch too.

"Michael [Allardice] may take a while to recover from his leg injury so there is an opportunity for me to secure a starting berth at lock for the early rounds of the ITM Cup," Boswell-Wakefield said.

He came off the bench to lock in a couple of last year's matches. The most experienced of the Magpies forwards for next week, Boswell-Wakefield, is thrilled with how the younger players in the squad are progressing.

"They are all stepping up and taking everything they are taught on board," he added.

Former Hurricanes halfback Chris Eaton, who has played 88 first class games for the Bay since 2005, will captain the Magpies in the McLean Park encounter. His team will include 12 new caps, eight of them in the starting XV.

They are the entire front row of Hurricanes and Napier Technical loosehead prop Tolu Fahamokioa, Clive hooker Jorian Tangaere and Napier Old Boys Marist prop Jarvy Aoake, Hastings Rugby and Sports lock Sanaila Waqa, the Napier Old Boys Marist pair of No8 Joseph Penitito and first five-eighth Tyrone Elkington-McDonald, Clive centre Jonah Lowe and Hastings Rugby and Sports winger Mason Emerson.

Substitute hooker Mikey Sosene-Feagai of the Taradale club is a doubtful starter with knee injuries. Should he fail a fitness test, world champion Baby Black Ricky Riccitelli will replace him on the pine.

Either one of the pair will join the Napier Technical pair of centre Ted Walters and prop Mark Braidwood, and MAC lock Everard Reid, as newcomers off the bench.

Magpies head coach Craig Philpott said Tangaere, a son of former Magpies hooker Johnny Tangaere, Aoake and Penitito have been rewarded for their outstanding performances for the Hawke's Bay Saracens against the Manawatu Evergreens in Waipukurau three weeks ago.

"With the likes of Mason [Emerson] and Shannan [Chase] on the wings, Jonah [Lowe] at centre and Zac [Guildford] at fullback we don't lack wheels. Hopefully we can get a hard track so we can show how we can use the ball," Philpott said.

Waqa, this week, became the fifth 19-year-old to be contracted by the Magpies this season. Lowe, Emerson, Baby Blacks lock Geoff Cridge and Hurricanes wider training group loosie Hugh Renton were the others. Regular Magpies Brendon O'Connor and his Blues teammate, first five-eighth Ihaia West, will get time off the bench.

None of the Magpies 23 will be eligible for club play on Saturday and the 23 for the July 16 defence against Horowhenua-Kapiti will be named on July 10.

The full Magpies team is:

Zac Guildford, Mason Emerson, Jonah Lowe, Billy Ropiha, Shannan Chase, Tyrone Elkington-McDonald, Chris Eaton (captain), Joseph Penitito, Tom Stanley, Tony Lamborn (vice-captain), Sanaila Waqa, Trent Boswell-Wakefield, Jarvy Aoake, Jorian Tangaere, Tolu Fahamokioa.

Substitutes: Forwards, Mikey Sosene-Feagai/Ricky Riccitelli, Jason Long, Mark Braidwood, Everard Reid, Brendon O'Connor; backs, Ellery Wilson, Ihaia West, Ted Walters.