Back to basics for Wairarapa-Bush

It will be back to the basics for Wairarapa-Bush in their non-championship rugby match with fellow Heartland side Poverty Bay at Memorial Park, Masterton tomorrow.
Coach Kelvin Tantrum is intent on them doing the simple things well in what is essentially their first match of the 2008 season where victory is a possibility.
Possession of any quality was so limited in the massive defeats at the hands of a Wellington XV and a Hawke's Bay XV that about the only positive for Wairarapa-Bush there was that they made it to the final whistle.
Certainly, there was no opportunity to assess their attacking capabilities for it is nigh impossible to attack without the ball.
And that essentially is why Tantrum has mapped out a game plan for tomorrow's game which kicks off at the earlier time of 1.30pm where the focus is on attaining quality possession through solidity in the set pieces, then protecting it well and using it intelligently.
"We just need to play good basic rugby, "he said.
"We won't be trying anything too flashy, it's more about putting systems in place and keeping to them."
Tantrum, is aware too of the importance of sorting out his best combinations for the 2008 Heartland campaign which kicks off in a fortnight's time.
He and assistant coach Mike Robinson only have tomorrow's game and that against what will be a powerful Wellington B side the following weekend to settle on their starting XV for the opening Heartland fixture against West Coast so time is at a premium in that respect.
There is no question that tomorrow could be a defining moment in their representative careers for a number of players in the current Wairarapa-Bush squad.
The decision to place in-form Gladstone prop Kurt Simmonds in the reserves means the pressure is on the more experienced propping duo of Brett Rudman and Dylan Higgison to keep him there.
Higgison's effort, in particular, will be watched with interest as he has been playing for Tuhirangi at senior thirds level on the club scene.
Scrummaging is his strong suit but this will be a major step up from what he has been used to lately in that department.
The unavailability of Wellington "import" James Measor means Puketoi's Jared Bambry gets his chance to stake a claim for one of the locking berths, Tomasi Kedrabuka having made the other his own for some seasons now.
Bambry is a rugged customer whose strength will be good value in the scrums and mauls but whether he can provide Kedrabuka with the necessary support at lineout time remains to be seen.
The battle over who will fill the openside flanker position in the Heartland games looks to have come down to a straight contest between Jared Hawkins and Mike Wilson although Eketahuna supporters will always be quick to remind you of the talents of Sully Alsop too.
It is Hawkins who gets to start tomorrow and he will therefore want to make every post a winner before Wilson presumably comes off the reserve bench later in the game.
The big talking point in the Wairarapa-Bush backline has obviously been the decision to have new cap, Gladstone's Dean Grant, commence proceedings at first-five but as coach Kelvin Tantrum has been quick to point out this doesn't necessarily mean he has the inside running over Patrick Rimene as pivot for the Heartland campaign.
Rather it is a case of Rimene's skills in that role being well documented and giving Grant the opportunity to demonstrate his on the representative stage.
And, in any case, it is likely that Rimene will move from fullback to first-five in the second spell so as to give Grant the chance to prove his worth at fullback as well.
Having Grant and Rimene in the same starting XV will mean, of course, that Wairarapa-Bush will have the luxury of fielding two players who are hefty punters of the rugby ball, and proven goal kickers too.
With the second of their Wellington "imports" Junior Togia also unavailable for tomorrow's game the choices for the Wairarapa-Bush three-quarter line became clear cut with Jordon Watene at centre and Charlie Walker-Blair and Lance Stevenson on the wings.
However, all three have plenty to play for on this occasion though as when Togia who can play at centre or wing returns one of them is likely to be relegated to the reserves
Poverty Bay, for their part, will very definitely be no easy beats, something evidenced by their tenacious effort in their recent Ranfurly Shield challenge match with Auckland.
In fact, their preparation for a game of that importance has to have them going into tomorrow's match as favourites, especially since they have had more time than the locals to develop combinations.
Whatever the result, however, it is crucial that Wairarapa-Bush go a long way towards building the sort of confidence which will be required to again make them serious contenders for the Heartland championship, a title which they won two seasons ago and were beaten semi-finalists last year.
Those are hard acts to follow and this game needs to a major step in the right direction.
A minute's silence in memory of Joe Wyeth, who passed away this week will precede tomorrow's match.
Wyeth was a wonderful servant of Wairarapa-Bush rugby, both as a member of the Masterton club and the union's premier side.
He was, in fact, a regular on the openside flank for the Wairarapa-Bush team which in 1981 was the talk of the country after winning the North Island and national second division titles and then beating Southland in a promotion-relegation match for the right to play at first division level in 1982.
He played in all but one of Wairarapa-Bush's 14 games that memorable season. Vale Joe Wyeth.