Flu keeps star player on bench

Lineout ace Tomasi Kedarabuka has not been named in the starting line-up for Wairarapa-Bush's Heartland championship rugby match with East Coast at Ruatoria on Saturday.
Kedarabuka is still battling the effects the 'flu bug which had him feeling off colour during last weekend's encounter with West Coast, and he has a slightly strained ankle to boot.
Wairarapa-Bush coach Peter Russell said the decision to have Kedarabuka on the reserve bench was made with the idea of having him fighting fit for their final two pool games in the Heartland competition, against North Otago in Masterton and Mid-Canterbury in Ashburton.
"He (Kedarabuka) needs a rest and we are quite happy to give him one," he said. "But he will be in the reserves and if we feel he can add something to our effort later in the game then we can use him anyway."
Replacing Kedarabuka in the starting line-up is his Carterton teammate and fellow Fijian Langi Peters, who certainly made a positive impact when he came off the bench in the West Coast match, something he had also managed against Buller the week before.
Peters, who tips the scales at 117kg, will give Wairarapa-Bush more weight in the scrums, and while he doesn't have the spring of Kedarabuka at lineout time, he is very useful in that department as well.
Add to that a penchant to run with the ball in broken play, and he has the all-round skills to make a decent nuisance of himself.
There are two other certain changes to the starting XV for Saturday's game from that which played West Coast, Dylan Higgison replacing Brendan Walker at prop, and Hamish McKenzie coming in for James Bruce at halfback.
A possible third change is in the back row where Brodie Duffin, who was in the reserves last Saturday, has been bracketed with Mike Spence.
Higgison and McKenzie have been integral members of the Wairarapa-Bush squad for some seasons now, and it is no surprise to see them given the nod, but both Duffin and Spence are relative newcomers and neither have yet done enough to lay permanent claims on the No.8 jersey.
Russell said Wairarapa-Bush was treating the Ruatoria game as a "must win," because victory would almost ensure them of a place a top three place in their pool, and therefore qualification into the main championship round of the Heartland series.
Conversely though a loss would place them under greater pressure in the following games against North Otago and Mid-Canterbury.
"This is a game we need to win and that's the way we are approaching it," Russell said.
"And we know we will have to lift our game from last weekend for that to happen."
Just what went wrong in the West Coast match, which Wairarapa-Bush won 31-18 despite playing well below expectations, was the subject of what Russell labelled a "soul searching exercise" at Tuesday's training session.
He said a lack of communication was perhaps the main worry, but was quick to say that was not a criticism of skipper Joe Harwood whose leadership was not in question.
"There are times in a game when players other than the captain need to take responsibility, and that's where we are falling down," he said.
Russell said it was crucial too that his players were constantly aware of the importance of protecting their own possession and of taking options, particularly on defence, which did not lead to the ball carrier being caught without having adequate support.
"It's pretty much basic stuff but if you don't do it well then the performance suffers,"Russell said.
Ben Skeen of Auckland will referee the Ruatoria match while the game between the Wairarapa-Bush B's and Poverty Bay under-23s in Gisborne will be controlled by Horowhenua-Kapiti referee Blair Harley