Rugby: Midfield set to shake Taranaki

Centre Robbie Fruean has starred for Canterbury. Photo / Getty Images

If Graham Henry was to ring Rob Penney right now to seek his opinion on barnstorming centre Robbie Fruean, the Canterbury coach would deliver a simple message - the boy is ready for international rugby.

"He's ready for any level he's selected for," Penney said. "He's capable of playing international rugby, I've got no doubt about that."

With less than two NPC games together, it's hardly Bunce & Little, but already Fruean and Sonny Bill Williams are shaping as a lethal combination.

Like Williams, Fruean is a huge man for a midfielder, weighing 104kg, but Penney sees past the size.

"He's not only powerful, he's silky. He's got the ability to be subtle and brutal - that's a valuable combination in any athlete."

Tackling was Fruean's bugbear last season, but it is no longer a weakness.

"Tabs [assistant coach Tabai Matson] has done a magic job with him," Penney said.

Second-place Canterbury take on fourth-placed Taranaki in the match of the round tomorrow, which also coincides with the host union's 125th anniversary. Straight from the cruel irony file, Canterbury's players left quake-torn Christchurch yesterday to fly to New Plymouth, where a brutal storm and even tornadoes are predicted.

Taranaki assistant coach Leo Crowley said Williams and Fruean were a potentially damaging combination, but not one with which they should be preoccupied.

"If we put too much emphasis on those two, Sean Maitland will run through us," he said.

Crowley sits comfortable in the knowledge Taranaki has rarely, if ever, had it so good in the backs after an aggressive recruitment drive that saw George Pisi, Kurt Baker, Andre Taylor, David Smith and Tyson Keats join the province.

"It's took three weeks to a month for them to gel and there's plenty more to come, but we've got four or five genuine gamebreakers in there now."

Taranaki have bracketed Maori rep Jarrad Hoeata with Sam Vunisa.

Canterbury welcome back Wyatt Crockett to loosehead prop following a calf injury, while first five-eighths Colin Slade is on the reserves bench.

Corey Flynn and Brad Thorn will also be drip-fed back into the ITM Cup, but Penney will have to make do without the injured Dan Carter and the rested Richie McCaw, Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock.

It is the latter that has raised some eyebrows down south.

Just 21 and with few kilometres on his clock, Whitelock's absence seems inexplicable, unless there are underlying injury concerns nobody is talking about.

"He can be as good as any lock that has ever graced the four or five jersey," Penney said.

"Not to have him in the latter part of the campaign is a real shame."

Penney said that though Whitelock was young, the All Black selectors clearly felt it was more beneficial for him to take a break.

"That's a decision that is out of our control and we'll support it because we want the All Blacks to do well in the World Cup."

Meanwhile, outstanding Wellington wing Julian Savea will miss the match against Hawkes Bay for breaching team protocol.

In the late game, North Harbour and Tasman will be looking to arrest three-match skids when they meet in Nelson.

Northland, narrow losers against Canterbury last week, travel to Otago on Sunday, and Counties Manukau visit Bay of Plenty in a Chiefs derby.

* Southland has lost in-form midfielder Kendrick Lynn for the rest of the season.

Lynn had surgery yesterday for a longstanding groin injury, sidelining him for six months.

The Highlanders requested the procedure in the hope he will be fit for the Super 15 season.

Lynn scored the only try in Southland's 7-6 win over Waikato in Hamilton on Thursday.

TARANAKI v CANTERBURY
New Plymouth, today 2.35pm

TARANAKI
Kurt Baker
Andre Taylor
George Pisi
Jayden Hayward
David Smith
Willie Ripia
Tyson Keats
Ben Souness
Chris Walker
Hoeata/ Vunisa
Craig Clarke (c)
J Broadhurst
Michael Bent
M Schwalger
Shane Cleaver
Reserves: Timo Tutavaha, Carl Carmichael, Kane Barrett, Samuela Vunisa/ Blade Thomson, Brett Goodin, Beauden Barrett, Isaia Tuifua.

CANTERBURY
Sean Maitland
Patrick Osborne
Robbie Fruean
Sonny Bill Williams
Telusa Veainu
Stephen Brett
Andy Ellis
Ash Parker
G Whitelock (c)
Matt Todd
Isaac Ross
Luke Romano
Peter Borlase
Steve Fualau
Wyatt Crockett
Reserves: Marcel Cummings-Toone, Andrew Olorenshaw, Rob Verbakel, Brendon O'Connor, Willi Heinz, Sam Monaghan, Colin Slade.