Religious beliefs sideline top prop

By WYNNE GRAY


Destructive loosehead prop Saimone Taumoepeau will miss Auckland's next NPC match because of his religious beliefs.

Southland, especially tighthead prop Clarke Dermody, may want to offer a personal prayer that Taumoepeau chooses not to play sport on Sundays.

Not that the alternatives are half bad. Auckland can call on converted All Black loosehead Kees Meeuws, Soane Tonga'uiha or Nick White when coach Pat Lam announces his side today.

But Taumoepeau, who has wrecked North Harbour, Wellington and Taranaki scrums since his mid-term NPC introduction, will not be part of the squad to travel south.

"He has been absolutely dominant on Auckland's loosehead side," Southland coach Phil Young remarked yesterday.

"It has been very noticeable. He is technically good and even against Gordon Slater and the Taranaki scrum, Auckland were in control because of Taumoepeau."

While Auckland will have to do without the 24-year-old loosehead prop this weekend in Invercargill, All Blacks Doug Howlett and Ali Williams are available again after having had significant time out with injuries.

Southland, with just one NPC win this year, are steeling themselves for another tough encounter on Sunday.

"We had Canterbury who were starting to hit their straps last week and now Auckland, who came right against Taranaki. It makes it tough, but the team is still positive and working hard for each other," Young said yesterday.

"It is a hard time of the season for us, with Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Wellington left in our schedule."

Southland believe they can create problems for their final opponents, but know this is also the stage of the competition when they are all gearing their games towards the playoffs.

"Sometimes you can create trouble for the Super 12 sides at the start of the NPC, but it gets a lot tougher towards the end, as we found out against Canterbury," Young said.

Southland challenged for the Ranfurly Shield last weekend, but suffered against a Canterbury side containing 13 All Blacks in the starting XV.

Canterbury scored only two tries in the first half against a stubborn Southland defence, but eventually the shield holders ground down the visitors 52-13.

"They had all the ball in the first half and I just think we ran out of steam in that last 20 minutes," Stags captain Dermody told the Southland Times.

"We had been on D [defence] for so long. With the amount of ball they had in the first half they probably should have put a few more [points] on us."

Southland are still struggling with a lack of player depth. Plans to use some Otago loan players have come unstuck, with intended first five-eighths Andy Miller having stopped playing on his return from Japan.

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