‘Frustrated as hell’ coach ups defence

Wairarapa-Bush are focussing on a strong defensive effort in their Heartland rugby championship Meads Cup match with Mid-Canterbury at Memorial Park, Masterton on Saturday.
Currently Wairarapa-Bush have the second best defensive record in the Heartlanmd competition but that didn't stop coach Kelvin Tantrum from spending most of Tuesday night's training session fine tuning that aspect of their game.
Tantrum was irked by the poor tactical kicking and equally lack-lustre tacking in the second half of his team's clash with South Canterbury in Timaru last weekend.
That was a game which saw Wairarapa-Bush run in four first half tries to lead 28-17 at the interval only for South Canterbury to score all the points in the second spell, and win 34-28.
"We went to sleep defensively and paid the penalty for it," Tantrum said yesterday. "We are not going to have that happen again."
Tantrum was "frustrated to hell" at the number of times poorly-placed kicks and half-hearted chasing allowed South Canterbury to launch counter attacks, which often became more threatening because first up tackles were missed.
"It was easily our worst defensive effort in Heartland games and showed just what can happen when you starting resting on your laurels," Tantrum said. "It was the difference between winning and losing, no doubt about that".
Tantrum is expecting a Mid-Canterbury team which has already nailed a Meads Cup semi-final spot but which needs to beat Wairarapa-Bush to have that game played on home soil to be every bit as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than South Canterbury in an attacking sense.
"Word soon gets around when you show weaknesses in any area of your game and you can bet they will keen to test our defence," he said. "They will be looking to run at us from everywhere".
Wairarapa-Bush goes into Saturday's match with a remote chance of sneaking into the Meads Cup semis themselves. For them to be any hope four points for the win and a bonus point for scoring four or more tries have to be achieved , a scenario which may hint at a more expansive attacking approach than what has been the norm through most of their 2009 campaign.
Tantrum, however, is adamant that first and foremost they will be aiming to secure victory in what will be their last home game of the season and only then would they be encouraged to throw caution to the wind.
"We won't be going out there to play the flashy stuff from the word go, no way will be doing that," he said. "The main priority is to win and if we have to grind our way to it then that's what we will be prepared to do."
The starting line-up for Wairarapa-Bush for Saturday's match has been delayed because of doubts surrounding two key players in fullback Nick Olson and
lock Tomasi Kedrabuka.
Olson, who has been one of his team's most potent attackers, injured a shoulder against South Canterbury and is racing against time to get himself back to full fitness while Kedrabuka has had a bad bout of the 'flu,He was forced to withdraw from the Timaru trip and was not well enough to train on Tuesday night either.
No such question marks hover over No.8 Duncan Law, who is definitely a non-starter after his hamstring strain came back to haunt him during the South Canterbury game.