Taniwha targeting strong start against tough Turbos

OUT OF BOUNDS: Northland rugby winger Jone Macilai went very close to scoring against Auckland in this pre-season match. PHOTO JOHN STONE

The Northland Taniwha are concentrating on Manawatu confident that if they play to their potential they will get off to a perfect start in their ITM Cup opener tomorrow.

Last season the Taniwha began well, leading some pundits to pick them as Championship title prospects, before they got bogged down in an unsuccessful midseason and completed the season in mid-table mediocrity.

Their coach, Derrin Whitcombe, said rather than concerning themselves with titles, he wants the team to focus in great detail on each match as it comes.

"Every game is a challenge in itself and at the end of every game we'll analyse what we did well and what we can do better and we also analyse our next opposition," he said.

That means a lot of work for the coaches and backroom staff but with a young team, including a handful of ITM Cup newcomers, it's best to keep it simple so they can play their natural game.

"We're pretty happy with the depth in our team, we feel like we've picked the best players in Northland rugby and our job is to develop these guys as well - we're not picking a finished product - so these guys are growing together every week they've been together," Whitcombe said.

"We expect to do better than last year and we want to make a good start against Manawatu this weekend, if the boys play well and put their best performance on the paddock then the result should take care of itself."

Whitcombe is expecting Manawatu to be a tough prospect at Toll Stadium on Sunday.

"They are a good team with a hard forward pack that keeps working throughout and a young exciting backline so it's not going to be easy to beat them but if we play to our potential for 80 minutes, we can do it."

The Taniwhas' loose forwards and outside backs are likely to be their main attacking weapon this season.

"It's a simple game. You've got to win your ball and get it out into space and that's how we want to play this year - a solid set-piece backed up with our loose forwards who are playmakers and we see that as a real strength in our team," he said.

The side have enjoyed a reasonable build up with the highlight very definitely pushing the All Blacks in the second quarter of their encounter in Albany last weekend.