Rain douses Tantrum plans

Wairarapa-Bush rugby coach Kelvin Tantrum is still "mulling over" possible changes to his starting line-up for the Heartland championship match with Mid-Canterbury at Memorial Park, Masterton, on Saturday.
Tantrum had hoped to have the run-on side pretty much confirmed after training on Tuesday but with the wet weather meaning his squad were confined to limited activities indoors there was little chance to put any new ideas into actual practice.
"We didn't really get a lot done, it was frustrating", he said. "It's put us a step behind where we would ideally like to be but that's the way it goes, there's no point grumbling about it."
While Tantrum wasn't giving any clues as to what the possible changes to the starting XV might be compared with the team which initially took the field in the 23-16 win over Buller in Westport last weekend, it seems logical to assume that two newcomers to the Heartland squad in Wellington loan player Mano Fairamo and origin player Cyrus Baker will be in the reckoning.
Fairamo has shown the ability at club level to play at No 8 or on the flank and if he is to start - or even come of the reserve bench - he would have to replace one of three players who all had strong games against Buller, No 8 Duncan Law and flankers Joss Tua-Davidson and Rupeni Temani. And that's not counting John McFadzean who made an impact when he was subbed on.
It is important, however, Tantrum and assistant coach Neil Foote get a line on Fairamo's form early in the Heartland campaign so as they can decide in what role he can be best used as the season progresses and to see him starting on Saturday would be no great surprise as a consequence.
The same, of course, can be said of Baker, a youngster who had his early rugby education in the Greytown area. The former national secondary schools rep, who can play at wing or centre, had a game for the Greytown senior team late this season and made an instant impression with his speed off the mark and his nose for the tryline, touching down on a couple of occasions. If he starts it will probably be either Jesse McGilvary or Heemi Tupaea who is relegated to the reserves.
Other positions in which changes might occur are prop and lock, not because who started there against Buller did anything wrong but more because of the depth of talent in those positions.
Jared Brock was in the reserves in Westport but, from all accounts, added oomph to the front row effort when he came off the bench and is clearly placing pressure on the likes of Dylan Higgison and Kurt Simmonds.
At lock, there are four strong contenders in Andrew McLean and Brandan Young, who started against Buller, Daniel Griffin, who was in reserve there, and the most experienced of them all, Tomasi Kedrabuka. He didn't go south but anybody who has followed Wairarapa-Bush fortunes closely during the past three or four seasons will know how important he has been to the cause.
The full draw for Saturday is:
Heartland championship: Wairarapa-Bush v Mid-Canterbury (G Stuart; C. Jefferies and A Stringer; T Roseingrave and G Hall).
Representative: Wairarapa-Bush B v Wellington Maori development squad, Memorial Park No 1 at 1pm (D Kershaw; T Roseingrave and G Hall; A Payne and V Peterson); Wairarapa-Bush under-20 v Wellington under-19, Memorial Park No 1 at 11.30am (L. Hayward; A Payne and V Peterson; K Lochhead and P Weeks).