Trio get Heartland call

RISING TALENT: James Goodger goes high to win lineout ball against South Canterbury. FILE PHOTO

THREE Wairarapa-Bush players have been named in the New Zealand Heartland side which will commence a three-match internal tour when they play New Zealand Marist in their annual Ian McCrae Cup match at Memorial Park, Masterton on Saturday, November 7.

Prop Kurt Simmonds, flanker James Goodger and first-five Tim Priest have all been rewarded for strong performances during a 2015 season which saw Wairarapa-Bush make it to the semifinals of the premier section of the Heartland championship, the Meads Cup.

Simmonds was the anchorman of a Wairarapa-Bush scrum which proved to be one of the team's main strengths and also won many plaudits for the assertiveness of his close quarter defence. Goodger was industrious on both defence and attack and a regular winner of lineout ball while Priest was a reliable playmaker and accurate goal kicker.

Ten of the 12 Heartland unions are represented in the national squad which will follow their Masterton match with two games against Australian Barbarians, the first of them at Levin Domain on Tuesday, November 10, and the second at Cooks Gardens, Wanganui on Friday, November 13.

Wanganui's Peter Rowe will captain the team for the fifth season, having been at the helm in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014, while the coaching responsibilities fall to Mid-Canterbury's Grant Keenan and Poverty Bay's Mutu Ngarimu. Keenan said they had the right blend of skill and experience to be competitive in all three games.

"Mutu and I are very excited with the squad that's been selected. Each player has excelled for their respective province and deserves their selection in the side.

"We've selected a blend of youth and experience within the backline and a forward pack which will provide a strong set piece and physicality in the breakdown area.

"As a coaching group, we're well aware of the quality of athletes that the touring Australian Barbarians will bring and understand that we each need to be at our very best during the upcoming matches in Levin and Wanganui," Keenan said, adding that the traditional fixture against New Zealand Marist in Masterton would be the ideal build-up.