Heartland championship hots up

Cliche or not, Wairarapa-Bush will be looking to score some points when they take on South Canterbury in Masterton on Saturday.

Wairarapa-Bush haven't lost a competition game in rugby's Heartland championship this season -- they're six from six.

But last year's division three winners in the old National Provincial Championship (NPC) find themselves third in the Heartland top six Meads Cup, behind Wanganui and North Otago, who have drawn and lost a game respectively.

The difference? Wanganui and North Otago have racked up plenty of tries, notching four and five bonus points respectively, whereas Wairarapa-Bush have just one bonus point after scoring just 142 points in six games, compared to 232 and 236 for Wanganui and North Otago.

Wairarapa-Bush coach Peter Russell told NZPA the side had gone through some soul-searching on Tuesday night while watching footage of their previous matches.

"We haven't fired on all cylinders, that's the disappointing thing about the side this year, it's there or thereabouts.

"It's just the mindset, to be honest, just to turn the knife and keep the pressure on the opposition rather than just going into a relaxed mode after we're scoring," Russell said, noting his side have conceded just 85 points in six games.

"We're defending well but not attacking at the other end, so we're hoping to shift that this week."

Wairarapa-Bush have lost young hooker Ross Batty, who has returned to play premier rugby with Newcastle in England, but Russell said the side's captain and other hooker Joe Harwood was playing very well.

There were a couple of other injury concerns and three players had missed training this week with the flu.

Russell said the new Heartland competition, while not giving the carrot of promotion to a higher division as in the old NPC, was providing plenty of motivation for players, with spots in the New Zealand Divisional 15 a major drawcard.

Five players had also played their blazer game for 25 games for Wairarapa-Bush, while another two had played their 50th match and the side's South African and Fijian players were looking to further their claims for international and professional rugby.

Wairarapa-Bush have a good chance to move up the table and closer to a home semifinal because table toppers Wanganui and North Otago face off in Oamaru on Saturday.

In the round's other Meads Cup match, Horowhenua-Kapiti travel to Ashburton to take on bottom-placed Mid Canterbury.

In the Lochore Cup, for the bottom six teams from the first round of the championship, top of the table Thames Valley have a chance to cement a home semifinal spot when they travel to Ruatoria to take on East Coast.

Buller host Poverty Bay and cellar-dwelling West Coast take on King Country in Greymouth in the round's other matches.

- NZPA