Harwood may have played last rep game

Incumbent Wairarapa-Bush rugby skipper Joe Harwood may have played his last game for the union.
Harwood, 28, leaves for Australia in about a fortnight to join up with the Sydney-based Southern Districts club for whom he will play in the Sydney premier competition through until late August, early September.
And he says if he and his family enjoy their time across the Tasman they could consider settling there on a more permanent basis.
"I'd like to think we will stay on for at least a couple of years but that will depend on how things go, nothing is set in concrete at this stage," Harwood said.
A stalwart of the Carterton club, Harwood was preparing to play another season in his usual role of hooker for them when contacted "totally out of the blue" a few weeks back by a Southern Districts official on a recruiting mission for experienced tight forwards.
He accepted an invitation to fly to Sydney for a training session and was impressed enough with what he saw there to agree to play in their colours this season.
"The training was full on, it was high intensity all the way through," Harwood said.
"It was tough but it was enjoyable, and the skill levels seemed good too."
Harwood has been told the standard of play in the Sydney competition is about that of the Heartland championship here with Southern Districts aiming to improve substantially on their last couple of seasons when they have finished towards the bottom of the table.
Aside from Harwood another three or four well-credentialled players have been "imported" as well.
"They have been disappointed with their more recent results and are working towards making big progress in that respect," Harwood said.
"There seems to be a really good feeling there at the moment, the commitment to improve is huge."
Not surprisingly, Wairarapa-Bush coach Kelvin Tantrum was disappointed to learn of Harwood's absence from the local scene but he was quick to add he fully supported his decision.
"He's still a young guy and this will be a new experience for him, I'm behind him 100 per cent."
Tantrum said Harwood who captained the New Zealand Heartland team to Argentina three seasons ago and again to the United States last year was an inspiration to his teammates, both on and off the field.
"Joe is one of those unique guys who commands respect both for his playing ability and for his leadership, he leaves a big hole to fill," Tantrum said.
Making the situation worse for Tantrum is that the player who was Harwood's deputy for Wairarapa-Bush last season, Gladstone No.8 Mike Spence, has also transferred out of the region.
But Tantrum himself is confident he and assistant coach Neil Foote will have enough leadership potential in their squad to come up with replacements capable of doing a good job.
"Right now I'd say there are least two or three serious candidates for the captaincy, and there may even be more," he said.