Signs suggest possible Heartland success

There were enough positive signs in Wairarapa-Bush's 19-6 defeat by Poverty Bay in a representative rugby match played in arctic-like conditions at Memorial Park, Masterton to suggest another successful Heartland championship campaign is not beyond the realms of possibility.
After the expected massive losses at the hands of a Wellington XV and a Hawke's Bay XV in previous warm-up games the locals were in a desperate need of a confidence boost just a fortnight out from their Heartland opener against West Coast and, the end result aside, they pretty much got what they wanted.
Poverty Bay, who competed so bravely against Auckland in their recent Ranfurly Shield challenge, were by no means 13 points the better team on the run of play in a game which, to the absolute credit of the two sides, produced an entertaining spectacle despite the elements.
Sure, there were more handling errors than you would normally anticipate but even the very best provincial sides would have struggled for accuracy there in weather which brought a mixture of icy wind, rain and snow and, amazingly, the odd glimpse of sunshine as well.
In fact, considering the coldness of the hands and the slipperiness of the ball it was a wonder any passes stuck at all and the two sides didn't resort to "kick and chase" tactics for territory gain.
That they didn't spoke volumes for their enthusiasm and spirit and kept the small crowd maybe 200 at the most thinking their gold coin donation for entry to the ground was not entirely wasted.
The conditions did mean, of course, that regular try scoring action was never likely to happen and, as it transpired, the five pointer scored by Poverty Bay winger Ratu Vosaki during the second half was the only one of the match.
Otherwise it came down to kicks with Poverty Bay skipper Scott Leighton showing his skills by landing four penalties and one conversion in a faultless display while Wairarapa-Bush's Patrick Rimene didn't have quite the same success ratio, kicking two penalties from four attempts.
The feature of a gutsy Wairarapa-Bush forward effort was the mobility and constructiveness of the loose trio, Nathan Rolls and Jared Hawkins on the flanks and Mike Spence at No.8.
They were quick to the breakdowns, strong runners with ball in hand and sound defenders around the fringes of the mauls.
In Tomasi Kedrabuka the locals had a reliable "go to" man at lineout time and the lanky Fijian also impressed with his willingness to run the ball back at the opposition in broken play and his assertiveness on the tackle, especially on cover defence where he often showed an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time.
His locking partner, Jared Bambry, toiled away well in the tighter exchanges.
The solidity of the Wairarapa-Bush scrum was a credit to the steadfastness of front rowers Brett Rudman, Joe Harwood and Dylan Higgison with Harwood invariably making good metreage with his barging runs.
There was one area though where the Wairarapa-Bush forwards were noticeably deficient.
Four times they failed to cleanly gather in possession after Poverty Bay kickoffs with the ball actually being allowed to bounce in open spaces on three of those occasions. Obviously lack of communication was the problem and just as obviously it is something which needs to be addressed.
Halfback James Bruce was clearly the pick of the Wairarapa-Bush backs.
He generally served his outsides with speed and accuracy, his tactical kicks were well judged and he was typically industrious on defence.
New cap Dean Grant hinted he could become a very useful acquisition to the Heartland squad by playing soundly, first at first-five and then later at fullback, with a couple of tackles in the latter berth being possible try-savers.
Switching roles with Grant during the course of the game was Patrick Rimene and he seemed comfortable enough at both fullback and first-five to suggest he too could be utilised in either position as the season progresses. An initial thought though is that his greater experience might be required more at first-five a little further down the track.
In midfield Nathan Couch was always looking to test the opposition defences, either through hard running or sleight-of hand, and the three-quarter line of Jordan Watene at centre and Charlie Walker-Blair and Lance Stevenson on the wings did their best in the trying circumstances.
Poverty Bay, for their part, appealed as a side which will be amongst the leading contenders for the major spoils in the 2008 Heartland championship, so much so that punters who like to have a dabble on those sort of things might be wise to get their money on early as the odds on them seem sure to drop dramatically once the championship get into full swing.
They have a big and mobile pack, an inside back combination with the tactical nous to run the show and outside backs with a good mix of speed and flair.
Throw in a reliable goal kicker and you have a side well equipped to go all the way.