Harbour have to lift game

By CHRIS RATTUE

There has always been a touch of the madcap to North Harbour's existence in the first division.

It has partly reflected the type of players they have had, which means you can never be too sure which personality mode they will be in for any given game.

If the North Harbour who turned up at Carisbrook last week reappear at Albany against Waikato today, they could get wiped out.

Against such an imposing forward pack, and an in-form backline, they will have to grab most of their scoring chances to stay in the hunt. At Carisbrook they wasted possession and looked lost for attacking ideas.

In contrast, Waikato are one of the dependable, solid citizens of the first division and their formula for success has changed little over the years, give or take the necessary alterations for changes in tactics and rules.

Rule number one around Hamilton way is a tough, non-nonsense forward pack, and the return of fringe test All Blacks Marty Holah and Mark Cooksley makes the task for North Harbour - who do not get back test starters Ron Cribb and Troy Flavell - that much harder.

The battle at the tackle between Holah and Matua Parkinson could be a telling factor, but North Harbour will have to lift their attacking game considerably.

Waikato coach Kiwi Searancke has sprung one surprise by naming 25-year-old former New Zealand Colts prop Tony Philp, who cut his teeth with Wanganui in the second division, for his first Waikato NPC start.

He makes the starting lineup ahead of two Super 12-rated props - David Briggs, who started against Counties Manukau, and Dennis Hazelton.

Searancke has also opted to rest Royce Willis, who is still "tender" around the groin, where he has had surgery. Mark Ranby is still out, also with a groin problem, but could be back next week against Wellington. North Harbour have lost wing Aisea Tuilevu for at least six weeks with a knee injury.

The difficulty for Waikato, who have not lost to North Harbour since 1994, is that Counties Manukau, their first-round opponents, are not the greatest of form guides.

"The difficulty we face this week is that we don't know how good or bad Counties were," Searancke said, "and I've a feeling they're going to err on the bad."