Selection posers ahead of semi

ASSERTIVE: Titapu Pairama-Lewington, back from injury.PHOTO/FILE

North Otago will pose a daunting challenge for rivals Wairarapa-Bush in their Heartland rugby championship Meads Cup semifinal match in Oamaru on Saturday.

Coached by former Irish international Mike Mullins, who made 116 first-class appearances for Munster, the southerners made a sluggish start to this year's campaign, dropping their opening game to Wairarapa-Bush 18-20 and then losing to close neighbours, South Canterbury, 15-21.

However, they have now gone six matches without defeat, beating East Coast 25-23, Mid-Canterbury 19-18, Poverty Bay 53-18, Wanganui 27-15, West Coast 32-22 and last weekend, Horowhenua-Kapiti 27-22.

Winning trots of that length are always confidence-boosting and confidence is something Wairarapa-Bush will have to rediscover after their disappointing 15-23 defeat by Thames Valley in Paeroa last weekend.

From all accounts that was one of their worst performances of the season.

Head coach Mark Rutene openly expressed his frustration at them not being able to string more than two or three phases together because of basic handling mistakes and a lack of protection of the ball carrier, or a mix of both.

Rutene knows a repeat of that effort will see Wairarapa-Bush in deep strife in Oamaru and it will be interesting to see if he and assistant coach Paddy Gough ring the changes in an attempt to produce a more accurate and committed display.

Happily for Wairarapa-Bush, Rutene and Gough will have skipper Johan Van Vliet back on deck after the openside flanker sat out the Paeroa match through an ankle sprain suffered in the match with East Coast the previous weekend.

He had been having a relatively quiet game by his standards before limping from the field on that occasion but that would be the exception to the norm for the Eketahuna loosie.

One of North Otago's strengths is the ability of their inside backs to call the shots and Van Vliet will be doing his side a huge favour if he can keep them under sustained pressure.

Also available to return to the Wairarapa-Bush fold after an injury break is midfield back Titapu Pairama-Lewington and it would be no surprise to see him start at centre.

He is not the flashiest of players in an attacking sense but his attitude there, and on defence, is always assertive and that could be a big asset against a North Otago backline boasting useful pace in their three-quarter line

The choice at halfback will probably be the main talking point in the backline selection.

It all comes down to the solidness of Zep Aporo, the unpredictability of Inia Katia or the youthful exuberance of Joseph Sio and will probably depend on the game plan adopted by Rutene and Gough.

If they are looking to control matters up front before letting their backs loose then Aporo is the likely choice while a more liberal approach could see either Katia or Sio given the nod.

In the forwards it could be a toss up between Jonathan Fuimaono and CampbellLawrence at prop and also between Sam Marshall-Wilson and Clark Butcher at lock.

If the versatile Marshall-Wilson misses out there he would be contending with Johnie McFadzean for the blindside flanker spot.