Nothing is guaranteed

BATTLE: Sam Marshall-Wilson wins lineout ball in an earlier match against Horowhenua-Kapiti.PHOTO/FILE

Focus will be a key word for Wairarapa-Bush in their Heartland Championship rugby match with East Coast at Memorial Park tomorrow.

The form book says the home team should comfortably pick up the win needed to guarantee them a place in the Meads Cup semifinals two weeks down the track but if there has been one constant message from this year's Heartland series it is that nothing can be taken for granted.

East Coast have not been a patch on the team which actually won the Meads Cup title in 2013. Right now they are sitting 10th on the points table, having won just two of their six games, and finding themselves very probably needing to win both of their remaining preliminary round matches to even make the semis of the second-tier Lochore Cup.

They would, however, have taken some confidence from their decisive 22-0 win over near neighbours Poverty Bay last weekend and will come to Masterton intent on showing they are not the spent force their overall results would suggest. And what better way of doing that then knocking off the side at the very top of the points table.

The dangers of under-rating their opposition has not been lost on Wairarapa-Bush head coach Mark Rutene who will be stressing the importance of his players maintaining a high workrate from go to whoa.

"They (East Coast) are obviously a lot better side than their results would suggest and we can't afford any lapses in concentration," Rutene said. "It's the old story, we need to do the basics well, it's as simple as that."

Rutene is hopeful weather and ground conditions will be drastically better than they were at Westport where Wairarapa-Bush battled their way to a 13-3 victory over Buller last Saturday.

He has faith in the ability of the Wairarapa-Bush backs to cut loose on a firm surface, even though they could be missing star winger Paul Tikomainavalu who rolled an ankle against Buller. He has been replaced in the starting line-up by Nathan Hunt and is only a 50-50 chance of being on the reserves bench.

Just who would take his place there has not been confirmed but it won't be former Canterbury rep Sam Monaghan who has withdrawn himself from contention for the remainder of the season.

Apart from the absence of Tikomainavalu, the backline selection is much as expected with the solidness of Tapaga Isaac's play in Westport seeing him retain the centre berth ahead of Titapu Pairama-Lewington. They are very similar players, hard, straight runners on attack and dependable on defence.

There are two changes in the pack which initially took the field against Buller, Jamie Hunt coming in for Richard Puddy at hooker and Sam Marshall-Wilson on the blindside flank for Johnie McFadzean. Here, too, the similarity of the players is such that choosing between them could be done on the toss of a coin but Hunt and Marshall-Wilson will be seeing things rather differently. They will have a eye on selection for the more important assignments to (hopefully) come and will see this game as a royal opportunity to advance their claims.

Interestingly Wairarapa-Bush will have two specialist hookers, Puddy and former Otago rep Ben Pereira, in the reserves as well as prop Jon Fuimaono so the 'front rowers club' will certainly be well served on the score of numbers.

Wairarapa-Bush: Nick Olson; Nathan Hunt, Tapaga Isaac, Byron Karaitiana, Cameron Hayton; Glen Walters; Zeb Aporo; Nathan Iro; Johan Van Vliet, Clark Butcher, Lachie McFadzean, Sam Marshall-Wilson; Campbell Lawrence, Jamie Hunt, Jon Fuimaono. Reserves: Inia Katia, Titapu Pairama-Lewington, Paul Tikomainavalu, Jon Fuimaono, Richard Puddy, Johnie McFadzean, Ben Pereira.