Eketahuna don't know quite what to expect from the Petone side they will confront in a Wellington premier division women's rugby match kicking off at the earlier-than-usual time of 11am at Memorial Park, Masterton tomorrow.
On the face of it Petone, as the only team to have beaten Eketahuna this season,
should provide spirited opposition but if the rumours that were floating around yesterday can be believed they are struggling to field a full complement of players for this match.
Eketahuna coach Sid Tatana has heard the rumours but his focus is solely on having what is expected to be a full-strength Eketahuna side playing to their potential in a game justifiably billed as one of the highlights of the WBRFU's 125th anniversary celebrations.
"Obviously it will be disappointing if both sides aren't at full strength but, quite frankly, all we are concerned about is putting on a good show and getting a win," Tatana said.
"And the composition of their side is their problem not ours."
It was a seriously depleted Eketahuna team that played Petone in their first-round match and after battling bravely to be only 5-0 down at halftime, they ran out of steam in the second spell and were well beaten.
Eketahuna, of course, went on to win the Fleurs Trophy for being the leading side at the end of one complete round of games but Tatana said revenge would still be very much on their minds tomorrow.
"We've talked about wanting to put the record straight and that's given us an extra incentive," he said.
"Complacency won't be an issue."
The strength of the Eketahuna line-up is evidenced by the fact that no fewer than eight of them have been trialling for the Wellington Pride and two of them, first-five and captain Rebecca Mahoney and midfielder Shakira Baker, are in the extended Black Ferns training squad.
Mahoney has a record second-to-none amongst Wairarapa-Bush players, male or female, in that she has been a member of two World Cup-winning New Zealand teams.
