Game focus on Heartland

The result will be of secondary importance when Wairarapa-Bush and Poverty Bay meet in a representative rugby match at Gisborne tomorrow.
Both sides will be making their first appearances for the 2011 season and with limited preparations the emphasis will be on building combinations and teamwork for the Heartland championship games, which get under way just seven days later.
Wairarapa-Bush will be hoping things don't turn out the way they did last year when they came away from Gisborne with their tails between their legs, hammered 62-6 by a rampant Poverty Bay side.
For the previous two years Wairarapa-Bush was also on the wrong side of the ledger, beaten 18-17 in 2009 and 24-8 in 2008.
The fact this year's Wairarapa-Bush squad contains several new faces and has a new coaching partnership of Mark Rutene and Steve Thompson means there are still question marks over their ability to be a serious challenger for the 2011 Heartland title.
Past years have often shown that players who star on the local club scene struggle to make anything like the same impact at a higher level and tomorrow's game will hopefully help Rutene and Thompson to sort out the wheat from the chaff in that respect.
The composition of their starting line-up was still a matter of conjecture yesterday with the news that the two players thought most likely to start in the midfield, Sam Mitchell and Heemi Tupaea, were not available.
Mitchell's place at second-five will probably be filled by the versatile Tommy Harmon and hopes are that Jesse McGilvary will have recovered sufficiently from injury niggles to be at centre.
The halfback role will be shared by two of the new caps, Michael O'Connor and Inia Katia, with O'Connor expected to play the first half at least, and Zeb Aporo will be at first-five until another of the rookies, Tipene Haira, is given his chance to impress.
Likely to start on the wings will be two further newcomers, Fijian Michael Vuicikau (who could get a run at centre later on) and Englishman Dan Porter, and the experienced Nick Olson will be at fullback. Greg Dennes is the third back on the reserve bench and is versatile enough to be subbed on in almost any role other than halfback. There will be keen competition in the loose forward department where skipper Josh Tua-Davidson and newby Johan Van Vliet are expected to start on the flanks with yet another first timer, Lee Ewe at No8.
There is a slight doubt though about the availability of Van Vliet, who has a minor injury problem, and if he can't play then either of Jared Hawkins or Rupeni Tamani - who will both be on the reserve bench - will move into the openside role.
Word is that the Eketahuna duo of Dan Griffin and Brandan Young will initially take the field in the locking berths with the in-form Andrew McLean being tried off the bench and that Brendon Walker and vice-captain Kurt Simmonds will be at prop until Wilbur Davies replaces one of them. Starting hooker will be Campbell Lawrence with "import" Jake Tipene as his back-up.
Poverty Bay will have the advantage of having been in camp for three days before tomorrow's game, at stake in which will be the Jeremy David Memorial Trophy. They, too, have players - some 12 in all - who will be making their debuts on the rep scene.