Rugby: Young players under microscope at Whanganui Heartland trial

Reporter·Whanganui Chronicle·

23 May, 2018 09:45 PM2 mins to read

Similar scenes may be seen at Cooks Gardens when Wanganui Rugby's Chris Back, Jason Caskey and Jason Hamlin cast their eyes over the trial. Photo / Bevan Conley

The teams have been announced and the players are raring to play in the Wanganui Rugby Heartland representative trial game.

It will be town vs country as players vie to impress Wanganui coach Jason Caskey and selectors when they do battle at Cooks Gardens on Friday, June 1 kicking off at 6pm.

Coach Caskey said the trial was important because of the opportunities it provided for younger players.

"It's obviously a one-off and the players don't have a lot of time, I just want them to show intent, we don't want to see guys trying to overplay their hand and do too much," he said.

"We want them to put their body on the line, tackle hard, run hard and also try to play along with the team around them, which is not the easiest job with limited preparation."

Caskey has had Wanganui rolling in the Heartland Championship since he returned to the team for the 2014 season, winning the prestigious Meads Cup in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

He said that he has identified some players in Wanganui Premier club rugby to watch out for in the trial.

"There are definitely guys that we're very keen on having a look at, they might have some basic flaws in their skillsets that need work, but we've got time," Caskey said.

"We don't expect to see them all out there already playing at Heartland level, there's always room for improvement and that's part of my job."

Some of those players will be informed of any work-ons that the coaching staff identify or they might get the opportunity to play for the development team.

Caskey was positive that Wanganui Rugby was in good shape as the representative season approaches.

"We're not looking too bad at this stage, it's always a little bit of an unknown until you actually start, you're just going on club rugby, but there's a good base of players here.

"It's nearly here, seven or eight weeks and then it will be real close. I'm looking forward to it."