RUGBY: Injuries ruin plans to field best line-up

A serious shoulder injury to rugby veteran David Holwell has stymied plans to launch the best Northland starting side at Counties-Manukau in the final pre-season match at Pukekohe this weekend.
Holwell was dumped on his shoulder in a freak indoor training accident on Monday and has been taken off the playing roster this weekend.
And he may yet be a sideline spectator for the start of the Air NZ Cup championship, possibly longer, with the damage significant enough to warrant x-ray and medical attention yesterday.
It is a big blow for the Northland side and a further setback for coaches Mark Anscombe and Bruce Robertson with the squad announcement imminent.
Competition rules require Northland to nominate at least 26 players by Sunday but injuries and ongoing selection issues keep delaying the announcement.
"We are actually battling to put 26 players together," Anscombe said.
"Because of injuries there are a few concerns and under the rules I think we can go get loan players if we get injuries.
"In that instance we can always go outside any group of players we name," he said.
"We will not be restricted only to the group of players we name."
That may be just as well, because Holwell wasn't the only one to come a cropper during Monday's weather-enforced indoor session.
Lock Steve Baker also ended up crocked after driving his shoulder into the gymnasium wall and yesterday halfback Corey Tamou and winger Glenn Martin both withdrew from training with injuries as well.
By the time yesterday's session finished Jake Paringatai, the No.8, was limping and prop Bronson Murray had headbutted the scrum machine and opened a gash on his head. So naturally any hopes of coaxing an early squad announcement out of the coaches was forlorn.
Anscombe said negotiations to try to secure a back-up tighthead prop were all but finalised with an announcement due, hopefully, today.
But there were concerns about the final balance of the backline stocks - concerns that had been underlined by Holwell's injury.
"The injury to Dooley (Holwell) puts pressure on the outside backs department. Really we would like to find another centre maybe, that would be great if we could," Anscombe said.
With Holwell out this weekend, Leo Taliu and Josh Levi will partner up in the midfield and Dan Bowden will move from second five to first five. Baker's starting spot will be taken by Dan Goodwin.
The final starting team will not be decided until tomorrow though, and may yet include an as-yet unidentified imported prop from Auckland.