Heartland spots on the line

Places in this season's Heartland championship rugby squad will be on the line when a Wairarapa XV plays a Bush XV at Memorial Park, Masterton on Monday.
While Wairarapa-Bush coach Kelvin Tantrum prefers to see the game as a serious encounter which should become an annual event he does concede that players who shape up promisingly will be doing their chances of Heartland selection a big favour.
"Obviously we will be looking carefully at how players adjust to what should be a higher level of rugby than they are experiencing in club play," Tantrum said."This is their opportunity to make a statement , no doubt about that."
Tantrum is confident the nature of a game, which sees a return to days of yore when Bush and Wairarapa teams often clashed on the rugby field, will generate considerable passion amongst the participants.
"We're hearing a lot of talk about how both teams are determined to get bragging rights and that's exactly what we want,"Tantrum said.
"It was never intended to be a fun game , we want a competitive battle all the way through.".
No positions will create more interest than the inside backs with the cupboard there being dramatically short of experience now that the likes of James Bruce, Patrick Rimene and Nathan Couch are no longer available.
The decision to play regular East Coast first-five Zeb Aporo at halfback in the Wairarapa XV seems to suggest he will used there on the representative scene as well, and that's understandable because he does have previous experience in the role.
At halfback for the Bush XV will be Andrew Fergus, who plays for Bush sub-unions in the Manawatu competition and is therefore not eligible for Wairarapa-Bush other than as a loan player.
Mind you, a strong performance from him or any other of the many Bush sub-union appearing on Monday and they could suddenly become strong contenders for the three "loan player" spots available in the Heartland side.
The pick of the first-fives in club play has probably been Puketoi's Jason Liverton but while he will be part of the Bush XV there are doubts about his availability for the Heartland competition and that throws the spotlight on two players in the Wairarapa XV, Jason Kestrup (Gladstone) and Byron Karaitiana (Masterton Red Star).
They are both hefty punters and accurate goal kickers but whether they have the tactical nous so necessary in a first-five remains to be seen.
East Coast have benefitted immensely from the solidity of Sam Mitchell at second-five at club level and if he can show the same steadiness on Monday a place in the Heartland squad looks his for the taking, probably with John Guillard (Eketahuna) as his understudy.
Up front the absence of star middle rower Tomasi Kedrabuka (Carterton) is a huge blow to the Wairarapa XV. He was selected in the side but has not turned up for training sessions and has therefore been left out. Hopes are he will be available for Heartland matches but that has still to be confirmed.
Without Kedrabuka's agility the Wairarapa XV will be relying on his Carterton teammate Andrew Compain and Gladstone's Andrew McLean for lineout ball, along with Pioneer No.8 Nathan Rolls, who can be good value in that department as well.
Up against them in the Bush XV will be a couple of aggressive sorts in Jared Bambry ( Puketoi) and Brendan Young, a Bush sub-unions player with a big reputation.
In Willie Leota (East Coast) and Adam Marshall (Martinborough) the Wairarapa XV have two hookers who have been in outstanding form for their clubs and the fact young Gladstone prop Kurt Simmonds (Gladstone) has been named as their captain indicates he is a contender for that role in the bigger picture.
In the loose the Bush XV have a skilled trio in Josh Tua-Davidson (Bush sub-unions), Sully Alsop (Eketahuna) and Duncan Law (Puketoi) and they will be fancying their prospects of dominating first phase possession as a consequence.