TOO MUCH GRUNT

Wairarapa-Bush should have too much firepower for Horowhenua-Kapiti in their NPC third division grand final rugby match at Memorial Park, Masterton tomorrow.
A home side playing to their potential might not repeat the 50-3 thumping they imposed on the same opposition in their preliminary round game but their winning margin would be comfortable, at the very least.
Much has been made in the build-up to the final about the improvement made by Horowhenua-Kapiti since that earlier massacre - and massacre it was.
And no-one can argue at the substance of those sentiments with the huge 42-5 semi-final win over King Country perhaps the best illustration of the progress they have made.
That was a game expected to be go right down to the wire and the magnitude of the win surprised everyone, including the Horowhenua-Kapiti camp themselves.
But when you look at the overall records of tomorrow's grand finalists in third division play this season the cold, hard facts are that Wairarapa-Bush should be a class above their opposition.
After suffering a shock loss to Buller in the first of their preliminary round games they have gone seven weeks without defeat and qualified for the semis with a clear three-point advantage on the competition table.
And yet both players and management readily concede that on not more than a couple of occasions have they produced what could be called a true 80-minute performance.
The scratchy 20-14 win over Buller in the semi-final game last Saturday wasn't pretty but it spoke volumes for the character and resolve within the Wairarapa-Bush squad.
They were less than average when having the wind with them in the first half and there were many spectators willing to predict a Buller win at the break.
That it didn't happen was due to a gutsy Wairarapa-Bush second half effort which saw them retain possession for long periods and create enough frustration in the Buller ranks for them to lose the plot in terms of their tactical approach.
On reflection it could be argued that the below-par performance in the first 40 minutes of that game was created as much by over-anxiousness than anything else.
The lack of fire in the forward exchanges, for instance, could well have been much to the high penalty count they had suffered in previous games with players over-reacting to a call not too offend in this particular game. Mind you, if that was the case they weren't exactly successful in their goal, were they?
You have to wonder too whether the indecisiveness of the inside backs in their tactical approach was due to nerves too. There was a hurried look about everything they did with the tendancy being to pass rather to kick despite the elements suggesting that the latter would have the prudent way to go.
It will be vital to the Wairarapa-Bush cause tomorrow that their first half effort is nothing like that of last weekend and hopefully the lessons learned then will ensure that is not the case.
Finals rugby is all about staying cool and taking the scoring opportunities when they come and while that is easier said than done the team which settles in quicker is often the side which is accepting the trophy at the game's end.
Wairarapa-Bush coach Peter Russell has gone as far to suggest, in fact, that what happens in the first 20 minutes of tomorrow's game could be the best pointer to the end result.
And with that in mind he is intent on his side coming out of the blocks all fire and brimstone and establishing an early advantage on the scoreboard. So expect to see their pacy outside backs in the action very early in the piece.
The more space which can be created for the likes of Simanu Simanu, Esava Teko, Marika Kau and Bart Viguurs the better for no other third division side can match them as a combined attacking force.
Horowhenua-Kapiti, for their part, are likely to be far more conservative in their tactical approach, at least while the two sides are sizing each other up.
Their coach Peter Kemp is probably the longest serving NPC coach in the country, having racked up 11 years on the trot, and he will have done his homework on Wairarapa-Bush's strengths and weaknesses.
The smart money will be on Kemp having his side concentrate heavily on dominating the forward battle as he will be aware of the huge danger posed by the Wairarapa-Bush rearguard if they are allowed to cut loose on a regular basis.
At scrum and lineout, in particular, Horowhenua-Kapiti will be backing their pack to call the tune and by denying them superiority in those phases Wairarapa-Bush will be doing themselves a huge favour.
And there is no reason why that shouldn't be the case as Wairarapa-Bush have seldom been bested at scrum time this season ?although the conceding of a couple of tightheads last week had to be a worry-and in Tomasi Kedarabuka they have a spring heeled lock who has literally been head and shoulders above his lineout opposition .Mike Robinson, who will be making his final appearance for Wairarapa-Bush, and Sam Henderson are useful options in that department too.
Wairarapa-Bush can also be confident in their ability to measure up in the loose for in Daimon Neal they have a veritable flier on the openside flank who likes nothing better than to sit in the pocket of the opposing first-five and who is invariably first to the breakdown.
That Neal will be a key component in the Wairarapa-Bush game plan tomorrow is guaranteed for in Richard Aloe Horowhenua-Kapiti have a first-five capable of dictating the trend of a game and Neal will have the job of limiting his options in that regard.
Directly opposing Aloe at first-five for Wairarapa-Bush will be experienced campaigner Patrick Rimene who will be playing his 50 th game for the union.He had an off day with his goal kicking against Buller but those are few and far between and it won't surprise if his proficiency in that area again has a big say in the end result tomorrow.
Rimene is one of a large number-18 in all - of Wairarapa-Bush players who were part of the squad which travelled to Gisborne at this time last year to take on Poverty Bay in the third division final and returned home gutted at their losing performance.
The hurt of that defeat left them with unfinished business and tomorrow gives them the chance to set the record straight.
They should do it, and do it well.