Opening game has makings of classic

Wairarapa-Bush will be in for a rude awakening if they take South Canterbury lightly in their Heartland championship rugby opener at Memorial Park, Masterton, on Saturday.

Big wins over fellow Heartland sides Poverty Bay (44-16) and Horowhenua-Kapiti (51-17) over the past two weeks have Wairarapa-Bush fans excited about their side's chances of contending for this year's Meads Cup playoffs.

But while there is certainly justification for the enthusiasm, it needs to be tempered by the warning that the toughest assignments still lie ahead.

A glance at South Canterbury's lead-in to this year's championship programme suggests they should start as favourites for Saturday's clash, which will kick off at the earlier-than-usual time of 1pm.

Their latest fixture provided a 29-7 win over perennial Meads Cup finalists North Otago at Waimate and before that, they had a deserved 27-23 success over Nelson Bays at Hanmer Springs.

By any standards, that margin of victory, over a team of North Otago's calibre, is hugely impressive. Down 7-0 early on, South Canterbury replied by scoring five unanswered tries.

Dutch international Stefan Vos was a standout for the South Canterbury side. Playing at lock, he secured several clean lineout takes and was at the forefront of a mobile South Canterbury pack in general play.

Vos, 25, arrived in New Zealand in February and played his club rugby for Poneke in the Wellington competition. Tipping the scales at 113kg, he has represented Netherlands on four occasions, including when they were knocked out of World Cup qualifying contention by Lithuania.

Fullback Tenari Saumani and second-five Tanu Suavine have been the stars of the South Canterbury backline; Saumani for his ability to glide through defences on the counter attack and Suavine for his tactical nous.

Just as Wairarapa-Bush have looked to add depth this season, so, too, have South Canterbury, with their coach Chester Scott having said that rather than having the usual 18 to 20 players capable of performing well at Heartland level, they now had 25 to 27.

South Canterbury's expansive style should suit Wairarapa-Bush, who have been at their best when the ball has been moved wide. However, it will also mean the home team will need to tighten up their defence.

Against Horowhenua-Kapiti last Saturday, in particular, too many first tackles were missed and the assumption must be that South Canterbury will be quick to take advantage of that deficiency should it occur again.

The Wairarapa-Bush starting line-up is yet to be confirmed, although all squad members are believed to be available, with the possible exception of lock Brandon Young who is still recovering from a knee injury.

A member of the NZRFU referees squad, Mike Fraser, will have control of the Wairarapa-Bush v South Canterbury match, while the clash between the Wairarapa-Bush B and Linton Army teams will be refereed by Mark Long of Manawatu. It will kick off at the conclusion of the Heartland game.