Bush hopeful count soars

A scramble has begun to fill the vacant Wairarapa Bush Heartland rugby coaching spot, with 15 applicants for the job.
Manawatu-based Kelvin Tantrum, who is not seeking a fourth term in charge, and WBRFU chief executive officer Phil Taylor believe the unprecedented interest could be due to the fact unions such as Wairarapa-Bush provide a pathway for coaches looking to become fulltime professionals. The Lochore Cup final win last month and the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand may also be factors.
Seven applicants are locals, with eight from outside the region, including a couple from overseas, but Taylor could not reveal their names.
Four local candidates were identified by the Times-Age this week - Graeme Cheetham, Neil Foote, Steve Hurley and Mark Rutene.
Since then, Ritchie Robertson, who coached the side with the late Boss Hemi in 1993-94, confirmed he was in the running in a dual application with former Wairarapa-Bush player Guy Williams. They have been closely associated with the East Coast club for some years, Robertson and John Pereira coaching them to their first premier division title in 2008.
Robertson believes Wairarapa-Bush union should appoint a local - or locals - to coach the team and that the side should be selected only from players involved in local club rugby.
"The days of using imports should be gone, we don't need them," Robertson said.
The coach is expected to be named about December 1.