Melee forms as players in rep squad scramble for positions

Wairarapa-Bush head coach Mark Rutene admits that settling on a starting XV for the non-championship rugby fixture with Horowhenua-Kapiti at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on May 26 won't be easy.

An extended squad of 29 is currently being put through their paces in readiness for a match which will be the curtain-raiser to the Hurricanes v Rebels Super 15 game and very few of those players are assured of a spot in the run-on side.

And that's a welcome problem for Rutene, who says the depth of local talent is probably greater than it has been for a number of years.

"The competition for just about every position is very keen and that's exactly how we want it," Rutene said. "The harder players have to work to be in the mix, the better it is."

Lock, loose forward and halfback are three of the more contentious positions.

Of the locks, only Gladstone's Andrew McLean has been a regular in recent Heartland championship sides and has been one of their more consistent performers at that level.

So it is a tribute to the abilities of his current challengers, Bush Sports duo Rangi Wolland and Sam Marshall-Wilson, and Lachie McFadzean (Carterton), that even McLean faces a fight to be part of the starting line-up.

There are five players contesting the loose forward berths with the battle probably coming down to John McFadzean (Carterton) and Joe Temoci (Gladstone) for No8 and Johan Van Vliet (Eketahuna), James Goodger (Marist) and Rupene Tamani (Eketahuna) for the flanks. Only Van Vliet, who has a huge future, is close to the certainty category.

The halfback battle is a three-way affair between a trio who have all been in outstanding form on the club scene: Matt O'Connor (East Coast), Cody Whittaker (Martinborough) and Inia Katia (Gladstone).

The latter is the most exciting from an attacking viewpoint but perhaps that has to be balanced against the greater reliability of the other two.

The extended squad is - Forwards: Kurt Simmonds, Wilba Davies, Matt Kawana, James Hunt, Richard Puddy, Ake Kuru-Henare, Sam Marshall-Wilson, Rangi Wolland, Lachie McFadzean, Andrew McLean, John McFadzean, Joe Temoci, Rupene Tamani, James Goodger, Johan Van Vliet. Backs: Matt O'Connor, Cody Whittaker, Inia Katia, Byron Karaitiana, Tipene Haira, Jesse McGilvary, Heemi Tupaea, Tapaga Isaac, Michael te Whare, Troy Bramley, Damien Kamo-Paku, Cameron Hayton, Nick Olson, Guy Wood.