Taniwha true blood brothers

Sky TV commentatorIt will be a hairy encounter when the Northland front row comes face to face with their Manawatu rugby counterparts tomorrow.
And it could be very scratchy or ticklish, depending on how the Taniwha and Turbos pack down. Observant Taniwha fans will notice the team is looking, well, hairier, lately.
The boys in Cambridge Blue have hung up their razors in a bid to grow "Beards for Blood" and raise money for the New Zealand Leukaemia Foundation.
The only other team in the Air New Zealand Cup to take up the challenge is Manawatu. Individual players in some of the other sides are lending their support.
The razors will be out of action for the next six weeks as the whiskers go wild.
A week into the campaign and tight-head prop Karl Haitana is leading the way with an impressive set of woolly mutton chops and an equally impressive mullet.
"I thought I would rough it up and have a good tidy up at the end of the competition," Mr Haitana said.
"I'm going for the natural look and letting it grow wild like gorse. It's for a good cause."
He has no ambitions of becoming a ZZ Top look a-like and will be first in line to have it shaved off. Mr Haitana anticipates stiff competition from lock Dan Goodwin and captain Jared Payne.
At the other end of the hairy scale is hooker Mikaele Tuu'u, who says he grows facial hair like a 12-year-old.
"Believe it or not I'm going for the full beard but it doesn't grow that much on the sides."
Prop Bronson Murray rounds off the Taniwha front row with a hairy lip and bushy chops.
The push for players to develop their facial hair was sparked by Sky television rugby commentator Scott Stevenson who wants people to donate blood and help those with leukaemia. A website will be created to document the progress of the player's beards.
Mr Stevenson was impressed the Taniwha side had taken on the challenge.
 "It's a fantastic gesture by the Taniwha."
He said a day would be set to shave  the beards and he hoped a local hairdresser would donate their time  to do the job.
While the beards go wild the Taniwha will be hoping it's not a close shave but an easy win went they play tomorrow.