Fit and eager Holwell is ready to regain jersey

Veteran Northland first five-eighth David Holwell is back in the region's Air NZ Cup rugby squad having overcome the business commitments and nagging shoulder injuries which had  earlier made him unavailable for selection.
He will be cooling his heels on the reserve bench when Northland play Southland in Invercargill at 7.35pm tomorrow, but his experience and talent give coach Bryce Woodward rare  depth if a starting backline player gets injured or requires replacement.
Holwell, 34, made his Northland debut in 1995, played for Wellington from 1999-2004, then returned to the north, where he bought a 664ha beef farm at Riponui, 10km north-west of Hikurangi, in 2006.
He has played 249 first class rugby games, including 94 for Northland.
Farm commitments and persistent shoulder injuries made him cautious about seeking Northland representation earlier this season, but he continued to play for his Mid Northern club.
But now, with his shoulders rested after getting through the club season without serious damage and the spring flush greening his farm, the passion to play top-level rugby has returned with urgency.
Holwell told the Northern Advocate he "just wants to help out - any way I can. If I just help carry the water or I play for only five minutes, so be it."
Holwell said that he would love to continue playing  for another five or 10 years, although there were still doubts about his shoulders.

 "If I can still foot it playing rugby at this level, I'll give it a go," he said.
Woodward said that Holwell had made himself available and had been taken into the Northland squad, which would benefit from his experience.
Holwell had taken part in only two training runs and was still learning the squad's systems. It would not be fair for him to come straight into the team over players who had done earlier work.
"He will have to earn the right to be in the team through performance," Woodward said.
Asked how the Taniwha would fare against Southland, the coach said Northland had prepared well to play Otago, but had been "beaten badly".
He didn't want to speculate about which way the honours would go in tomorrow night's game.
"I'll tell you the result on Friday," he said.
Geoff Crawford, who played 11 seasons for Northland including several as captain, said Holwell was a talented, quality footballer whose experience would be well received in the regional team.
But while Crawford was not worried  about recycling an older player, he questioned where the next star Northland inside backs would come from..
He said said the production of young players who would be able to serve the region in the future was a major concern.
Northland: 1 Bronson Murray, 2 Mikaele Tuu'u, 3 Karl Haitana, 4 Daniel Goodwin, 5 Cam Jowitt, 6 Roy Griffin, 7 Joel McKenty, 8 Cameron Eyre, 9 Rhyan Caine, 10 Lachie Munro, 11 Rene Ranger, 12 Derek Carpenter, 13 Damian Fakafanua, 14 Brook Gilmore, 15 Jared Payne (c). Reserves: Tim Dow, Matt Wallis, Michael Farmer, Matt Clutterbuck, Luke Hamilton, David Holwell, Jon Elrick.