West Coast remain a threat

History may suggest otherwise but victory is by no means a foregone conclusion for Wairarapa-Bush when they kick off their Heartland rugby championship campaign for 2008 with a match against West Coast at Memorial Park, Masterton tomorrow.
In what is an absolute case of deja vu from 12 months ago Wairarapa-Bush are confronting a West Coast side whose preparation has been hugely affected by the wintery weather in that part of the country, to the point where they have basically been unable to train as a complete unit.
So poorly did West Coast perform in their 46-0 defeat then that a certain scribe (who shall remain nameless) was moved to predict they would struggle to win even one game in the Heartland series.
A comment which was made to look somewhat foolish when they beat Horowhenua-Kapiti, Thames Valley and King Country in three of their next four matches and went on to reach the semi-finals of the Lochore Cup series.
That quick resurgence in form should act as a warning to those confidently predicting another comprehensive win to Wairarapa-Bush tomorrow that, even allowing for their preparation woes, West Coast should not be taken lightly.
Especially if their Canterbury-based coach Anthony Lawry is right when he says the potential of this season's side is greater than that of last year.
Sure, their combinations won't be completely settled until a little further down the track but knowing they are meeting a Wairarapa-Bush side which has taken some hefty beatings in all four of their lead-up games, and failed to score a try in the process, won't exactly dent their confidence, will it?
Expect too for the West Coast tactics to differ from those of last year when they looked to throw the ball around and suffered the consequences of inept passing and handling skills.
In previous battles between the two it had been the sheer ruggedness of the West Coast forwards which had given Wairarapa-Bush more than a few headaches and it will be a surprise if they don't revert to a similar game plan here.
Mind you, that could also be playing into Wairarapa-Bush's hands as it has been their pack which has made the most progress in the lead-up games, particularly in the set pieces of scrum and lineout where even a team as formidable as Wellington B struggled to get the better off them.
Having wily front rowers like skipper Joe Harwood, Dylan Higgison and Brett Rudman to spearhead their scrummaging effort is a big plus for the home team. Harwood has recovered from a calf strain and will be keen to show just why he was named skipper of the national Heartland side over the past couple of seasons.
The loss of Nathan Rolls with a broken bone in his wrist does weaken Wairarapa-Bush's lineout options and the onus will now be on locks Tomasi Kedrabuka and his new partner, Wellington "import" James Measor, to call the tune in that department.
Measor, from the Upper Hutt club is very much an unknown quantity to local fans so his performance will be watched with special interest.
Replacing Rolls on the blindside flank is promising youngster Mike Wilson and this is his big chance to show he can cut the mustard at the higher level. He and fellow flanker Jared Hawkins will certainly give Wairarapa-Bush plenty of speed to the breakdowns and they can rest assured that ever-reliable No.8 Mike Spence will be right behind them.
What makes it even more important that the Wairarapa-Bush forwards assert their superiority in all ball-winning facets is that with the experienced James Bruce sidelined with a knee injury they will have rookie Callum Buchanan at halfback, and this is one area where West Coast are sure to attack them. Buchanan impresses as a tough nut though and he will need to be in what for him could very much be a baptism of fire.
In Patrick Rimene and Nathan Couch Wairarapa-Bush have a couple of inside backs who are returning to the Heartland fold after taking a season off last year and their guile should be a huge assist, providing, of course, they get more much more quality ball to use than they have in the lead-up games.
Centre looked as if it could be a problem spot until the Wellington B match where another of the promising crop of youngsters in Jordan Watene stamped his authority with a couple of clean breaks which had defenders grasping at thin air. It was a sign of real class and the challenge for him now is to reproduce it on a regular basis.
The other two Wellington "imports" in the Wairarapa-Bush squad in Junior Togia and Peato Lafaele will be at wing and fullback respectively and if they match the form they displayed when they last represented for the union during the Meads Cup-winning season of 2006 there will be no complaints.
On the other wing will be Charlie Walker-Blair who was probably the best attacker in local club rugby this season but who has yet to make the same impact on the representative scene, as much because of lack of opportunity than anything else. He needs a big game to keep the likes of Lance Stevenson and Nick Olson at bay as the season progresses.
Entry to tomorrow's game, which kicks off at the earlier-than-usual time of 1pm to fit in with West Coast's travelling arrangements, is free thanks to sponsorship from the Wairarapa Building Society and kids who get there early in the company of an adult will receive the "take the kids to the footy packs" which will be full of goodies from other local sponsors.
The full Wairarapa-Bush team is:
Peato Lafaele; Junior Togia, Jordan Watene, Nathan Couch, Charlie Walker-Blair; Patrick Rimene; Callum Buchanan; Mike Spence; Jared Hawkins, Tomasi Kedrabuka, James Measor, Mike Wilson; Dylan Higgison, Joe Harwood, Brett Rudman. RESERVES: Mike Hollis, Mike Shaw, Dean Grant, Richard Puddy, Kurt Simmonds, Jared Bambry, Joe Feast.
SENIOR Bs
Wairarapa-Bush senior B rugby coach Stacey Grant is optimistic of a bold showing from his team in the curtainraiser match with Wellington Maoris, which will get under way at 11.30am.
Grant concedes that the unavailability of some players who would have been serious contenders for the starting line-up is frustrating but he is still happy with the talent at his disposal
"We're a pretty physical lot up front and have speed in the backs, we should give a decent account of ourselves," he said
A likely starting line-up for the B's is: Ryan Hardman; Andrew McKay, Byron Karaitiana, Julian Cosgrove, Tavita Issac; Richard Tosswill; Joe Hull; Joe Nuku; Evan Small, Tim Flemming, Andrew McLean, Brett Aitken; Darryn Walker, Bevan Morland, Aaron Cook.
There will be action after the Heartland match too with the Wairarapa-Bush under-20's playing the New Zealand Army Academy in a match kicking off at 2.30pm.
The Army Academy side was developed three years ago to become a true "feeder" team to the Army's premier XSV and is made up of players from Linton, Burnham, Trentham and Waiouru.
They have had matches against Wanganui B and Manawatu under-20s leading into the Masterton game on what is their first-ever internal tour.