Wairarapa-Bush masters of own destiny

Wairarapa-Bush are masters of their own destiny going into the last round of pool A matches in the Heartland rugby championship tomorrow.
Beat North Otago at Oamaru while restricting their opposition to no more than one bonus point and they will be contesting the premier section, the Meads Cup, when the playoffs get underway the following weekend.
The form book suggests, of course, that Wairarapa-Bush are on a hiding to nothing.
Whereas North Otago have won three of their four pool games Wairarapa-Bush have managed just the one victory.
Without their six bonus points any hope of a Meads Cup spot would be well gone.
But the fact Wairarapa-Bush have continually scored four or more tries and kept to within seven points or less of their rivals does show that even though their performance levels have, in the main, been disappointing they have still been competitive.
And it raises the hope that if Wairarapa-Bush play to their full potential tomorrow North Otago could be hard pressed to meet their challenge.
What their full potential is would resemble something like their effort of the last 20 minutes of the match against Horowhenua-Kapiti last Saturday. Only difference being that it needs to cover the whole 80 minutes on this occasion.
The two converted tries Wairarapa-Bush scored in those closing stanzas then were a classic illustration of what can be done when the simple basics of passing, handling, strong running and sound support play are attended to.
It was entertaining stuff and without the risk factor being increased to any great degree.
What that Horowhenua-Kapiti match also showed though was that if the Wairarapa-Bush forwards aren't primed for a peak performance right from the word go it doesn't matter if you have the best three-quarter line in the competition, they won't get the quality or quantity of ball to make an impact of any significance.
Just about every time wingers Junior Togia and Charlie Walker-Blair got even a sniff of possession they looked capable of cutting through the Horowhenua-Kapiti defence. But it wasn't until that last quarter when their forwards got their act together that they had the chance to stretch their legs on a regular basis.
That coach Kelvin Tantrum and his assistant Mike Robinson have retained the same pack for tomorrow's game as initially took the field against Horowhenua-Kapiti will have raised a few eyebrows. Certainly there are some who will want to lift their individual efforts a notch or two to retain their positions once the playoffs begin, something made to seem even more necessary by the North Otago forwards very probably offering more formidable opposition than did the Horowhenua-Kapiti eight.
Reports indicate, for instance, that North Otago are accomplished in the set pieces of scrum and lineout, and those are areas in which Wairarapa-Bush have struggled for consistency over most of their Heartland programme. More particularly the lineout where Tomasi Kedrabuka has been pretty much a lone ranger.
He needs greater support there and the onus is on the likes of fellow lock James Measor to provide it.
Tantrum and Robinson have rung the changes in the backs with Mike Shaw and Junior Togia pairing for the first time in midfield.
They are very different players with Shaw more noted for his defensive than his attacking skills and Togia vice versa.
By moving Togia to centre and replacing him on the wing with Nick Olson Wairarapa-Bush have a three-quarter line with pace to burn and obviously the more chance they get to utilise that commodity the better.
In Togia's case though there must be question marks over his vision and distribution skills, if only because centre is a position where those skills are so vital and Togia has had little experience there of late.
Wairarapa-Bush will also require a couple of the old hands in the backline, Nathan Couch and Patrick Rimene, to give their team the tactical nous which has been too often missing this season. Sound judgement calls will be crucial against a North Otago side who will be keen to take advantage of any counter attacking opportunities.
If Couch is, as expected, at halfback his dual with former Wairarapa-Bush rep Hamish McKenzie in that role should be a cracker.
Both players like to snipe around the fringes of the scrums, rucks and mauls and they can do so with telling effect.
Meads Cup or Lochore Cup & this is it folks!!!