A word from the coach

The "good kick in the bum" Wairarapa-Bush got from Buller in their opening match was a catalyst to them winning the NPC third rugby championship in 2005
That's the view of coach Peter Russell who believes the 29-24 loss that day was a timely reminder that competition honours would not come their way until the commitment and concentration was spot on. And Russell also believes that the disappointment of their hefty loss to Poverty Bay in the third division grand final of 2004 also played a big part in their title success.
Many of their current squad were in that side and the hurt of playing so poorly on such a big occasion stayed with them as they won through to the competition decider for the second successive year.
Wairarapa-Times Age rugby reporter Gary Caffell took the time yesterday to talk to Russell about the 2005 season.
CAFFELL: After the defeat in last season's NPC third division final you expressed the view that anything other than the title would not be considered good enough in 2005. Did you ever waiver from that thought?
RUSSELL: No I didn't. I was confident we had the players to do the job and it was just a matter of them playing to somewhere near their potential on a regular basis.It was good the bulk of them had been part of the 2004 side and they knew the hurt of playing so poorly in that final. The general theme all year was that we had unfinished business and that anything less than winning the championship was going to leave it that way.
CAFFELL: That must have seemed a long way off though when you lost that opening NPC game to Buller.
RUSSELL: Well, that loss was probably a blessing in disguise.We blew so many scoring chances it wasn't funny, probably five or six tries at least. It was a good kick up the bum for us for it showed what could happen if you didn't apply the basics well. We knew then that if we wanted to win the competition it was going to take a lot of hard work. We couldn't take anything for granted.
CAFFELL: Obviously that loss made the next-up game against Horowhenua-Kapiti very important in the scheme of things. You ran up 50 points there, was that the best effort of the NPC season for us?
RUSSELL: We had to win that game, another loss would have put us well and truly on the back foot and we didn't want that.There was huge determination to bounce back quickly and, yes, it probably was our best effort of the season. Practically everything clicked and we made pretty handy opposition look very ordinary. It was the boost we needed, it was a big win in the context of the season.
CAFFELL: The really impressive part of that win was that we got on top early and kept the momentum going. We didn't always do that, did we?
RUSSELL: No, we didn't. In fact, if there was one frustrating thing about the season it was that we would get out to good leads and then take the foot off the throat. That first game against Horowhenua-Kapiti was about the only time we went hard for the full 80 minutes. Too often we let our opposition back into the game when they should have been well and truly gone.
CAFFELL: The grand final on Saturday was a good case in point, wasn't it?
RUSSELL: Yes it was. We played all the rugby through the first half and when we scored twice more just after halftime to go 25-6 up it should have been all over bar the shouting. But again we eased off and they came back at us and it got a lot closer than it should have.
CAFFELL: As coaches you would have talked to the players about it. It must have been disappointing to you to see it happen so often.
RUSSELL: Frustrating more than disappointing really. It's a mental thing. You get out to a good lead and you start getting complacent and lose the focus. Too often we got away from the game plan and took risks we didn't need to take. But at the end of the day we kept winning so you can't grumble too much, can you?
CAFFELL: In your view what were the strengths of this Wairarapa-Bush side?
RUSSELL: We were a really well-balanced unit. We had a good scrum, a good lineout, good decision makers, two or three really talented playmakers, pace out wide and a very aggressive defence.
It was pretty much the whole deal. And, of course, we had some very good players on the bench too and they contributed a lot through the season.
CAFFELL: The depth in the team must have caused a headache or two in terms of who should start, and who should be in the reserves?
RUSSELL: Yes, but it was a good problem to have. It gave us the chance to adopt a horses-for-courses approach where we were able to look at things like how the opposition were likely to play and what the weather conditions were expected to be and pick players to suit. It's a nice luxury to have and the players themselves responded well to it.
CAFFELL: A big plus for us was that the players new to the squad from the previous season - players like Kedarabuka, Neal, Viguurs and Kau - slotted in so well. That must have been pleasing.
RUSSELL: It sure was, I mean practically all the new guys became first choices because they played so well game in, game out. They fitted into the team culture as if they'd always been there and that's what you want. No-one was bigger than the team, everybody was working for each other.
CAFFELL: They always looked a happy team, obviously they enjoyed what they were doing.
RUSSELL: They certainly seemed to. From memory we only had the one poor training session and that was straight after that big win against Horowhenua-Kapiti.They were just going through the motions that night and we had to have a good talk about the fact that we needed to train the way we wanted to play. And from then on everybody was on the ball. They were a real pleasure to coach.
CAFFELL: The team scored a record number of tries which suggests the tactics were mainly about using the attacking talent we had.
RUSSELL: For sure, but at the same time we were always mindful that you can't do much without the ball and so the first priority was always getting control up front.Once you've got that the backs have the chance to do their thing.
CAFFELL: Next season sees Wairarapa-Bush playing in the new NPC division one competition. You will again be coach and how do you see us faring there?
RUSSELL: It will certainly be stronger than third division but there is no reason why we shouldn't do well. Hopefully we can retain most of our current players and build on what they achieved this season.
CAFFELL: Talking of players, any word of any retirements or non-availables.?
RUSSELL:Well Mike Robinson has definitely retired and we knew that would happen. So we need a new captain for a start.
Tomasi Kedarabuka has returned to Fiji and Bart Viguurs is heading back to Holland but we are very hopeful of them being with us again.
Certainly they have indicated a keenness to come back, and we're delighted about that.
A few of the oldies in the squad are probably near the end of their careers but no-one has actually said they won't be there.
CAFFELL: And what about Peter Russell? Being appointed assistant coach of the national divisional side is a step up the ladder, what ambitions have you got in the game?
RUSSELL: Well, I'll be back with Wairarapa-Bush next season and we'll see what happens from there. Obviously it would be nice to be able to coach full-time in the future but whether that will ever happen is in the lap of the gods.