Forward power key to winning

Forward domination will be the key to a Wairarapa-Bush victory over Buller in their opening NPC third division rugby match at Westport tomorrow.
It was their pack which set the foundations for a solid Wairarapa-Bush win over second division Wanganui in the last of their non-championship games and they will be expected to set a similar platform this time round.
Little is known of a Buller team which finished at the bottom of the third division series last season and which has a member of that side, midfield back John Smith, now in the coaching role.
However, Smith has made no secret of his delight at the way his team have performed in lead-up matches, which have produced wins over Canterbury Maoris and Marlborough B, and is convinced they are already a better side than that of 2004.
Smith, does, however, admit to a concern that his smaller forwards could struggle to match Wairarapa-Bush in the all-important battle for set piece possession, and it's here that the visitors should be able to gain what should be a winning advantage.
Front rowers Logan Ili, Rob Foreman and Dylan Higgison have now had enough experience at third division level to know what is required to assert superiority in the scrums and it won't surprise if the new look locking partnership of Fijian Tomasi Kedarabuka and talented youngster Corey Reid emerges as something special.
They are both very competent lineout jumpers but, just as importantly, have a mobility which allows them to feature prominently in all other aspects of the forward game as well.
It wasn't so long ago that the loss of last year's big gun in the locking area, Stu Smith, was being seen as a huge blow for Wairarapa-Bush but while he would still be welcomed back with open arms the combination of Kedarabuka and Reid does give hope that his absence won't be as sorely felt as it might have been.
It will take a mammoth effort from Buller to measure up to Wairarapa-Bush in the battle for loose ball for in Daimon Neal, Mike Robinson and Sylvanus Iro they have a couple of flankers and a No.8 who are right at the top of their game. Both Robinson and Iro are punishing runners in broken play and you can wager they will be the launching pad for many of their team's more potent attacks.
Neal, on the other hand, is more in the mould of a Kenny Stewart or Leicester Rutledge (two former Southlanders of course) in that he is a ferreter of ball on the ground and quick to the breakdowns.
And, what's more, all three loosies are aggressive defenders and will be keen to put the fear of God in their opposition by putting in some big hits early in the piece.
Talk of forward domination doesn't mean, of course, that the Wairarapa-Bush backs will necessarily be playing second fiddle to their forwards.
Indeed coach Peter Russell is clearly an advocate of the 15-man game but at the same time he is aware that control up front has to be acheived before full value can be expected from the attacking skills of the backline.
That those attacking skills are considerable cannot be doubted with some pundits-this writer included- being of the opinion that the current rearguard could be as dangerous an attacking unit as any Wairarapa-Bush has fielded in the last decade or so, or even further back than that.
Starting with James Bruce at halfback, through to Patrick Rimene and Nathan Couch in the five-eighths, Simanu Simanu at centre, Jorgi Tamani and Esava Teko on the wings and Bart Viguurs at fullback there are oodles of the two ps, pace and penetration.
Talking to Buller rugby folk yesterday it was obvious that the abilities of Couch and Simanu in midfield have been well documented in that part of the country, and just as obvious that Buller are planning a welcoming party for them.
That being the case it could be prudent for Wairarapa-Bush to use Couch and Simanu more as link players than the focal point of their attacks and in that sense it could be Viguurs who provides the initial thrust to their attacking ploys.
The Dutch international has a good turn of speed and having played often in the five-eighths the vision necessary to not only make the break, but to link with his supports once the overlap has been created.
Speculation that complacency could be an issue for Wairarapa-Bush can surely be treated with a grain of salt.
Sure, they will start hot favourites but they only have to remember back two seasons to realise what can occur if the foot is not immediately placed on the pedal, and kept there.
Then they travelled to Greymouth for their opening third division match against lowly West Coast and were on the end of a shock defeat.
The memories of what happened there should be enough to have Wairarapa-Bush firing on all cylinders, and that, in turn, should be enough for a comfortable win to be recorded.
COLLEGE SEMI
Kuranui College's first XV will be looking to continue what has been a very successful season when they play Taita College in the semi-finals of the Wellington secondary schools third division competition at Kuranui tomorrow, kicking off at 1pm.
Taita actually beat Kuranui the last time they played, but there is confidence in the Kuranui camp they can turn the tables this time round.
The home side intends to play a free-flowing style of rugby with the idea of using the pace in the backs to give them a winning edge.
Halfback Michael Hollis has been a standout for Kuranui all season, and with quality players in that position in short supply throughout Wairarapa-Bush, one hopes that union officials are doing everything they can to retain his services on a long term basis. It would be no surprise, in fact, if he was deemed good enough to play for the senior A reps within the next season or two.
WAIRARAPA-BUSH B's
Wairarapa-Bush B coach Steve Thompson was pleased with the character and resolve shown by his side in their 50-19 loss to Wellington Samoans at Memorial Park last weekend.
The Samoans threatened to pile up a cricket score when they dominated the first half, but two spectacular tries, both of them started from deep inside their own territory, saw Wairarapa-Bush gain in confidence and actually give every bit as good as they received.
"We let them dictate things early on and they had the size and skills to take advantage of that but once we fronted up we made a decent game of it," Thompson said.
Tomorrow sees Wairarapa-Bush B's play Manawatu B in the last of their lead-up games before they enter a competition against B sides from Horowhenua-Kapiti Poverty Bay and Wanganui.
The Wairarapa-Bush team is: Daniel Elms; Lance Stevenson, Kingi Kaiwai, Duncan Rutherford, Dave Murdoch; Darren Yates; Sean Bicknell; Stacey Grant; Tom Sargent, Stu Berry, Norm Henricksen, Nathan Rolls; Lee Paku, Bruce McKenzie, Darren Walker. Reserves: Hamish McKenzie, Andrew McKay, Matt Easton, Aaron Morrisey, Sam Walsh, Scott Gudsell.