NORTH HARBOUR v HAWKES BAY
Albany, 2.35pm today
AUCKLAND v MANAWATU
Eden Park, 2.35pm tomorrow
It's a pity Auckland aren't playing North Harbour this weekend.
That would enable Chris Lowrey and Anthony Boric to compare notes.
Both are making a return to the Air New Zealand Cup after suffering injuries in the same match for the Blues against the Reds in April, that memorable night the lights went out at Albany.
They could inquire of each other's health at an early break in play.
"How's the knee Chris?"
"Not bad mate. How's the big toe?"
The two forwards are back to add some starch to their respective forward packs. No 8 Lowrey returns for Auckland against Manawatu at Eden Park tomorrow, having broken a bone in his hand playing a club game on August 1 just when he was about to return to the competition; 10-test All Black Boric runs on to North Harbour Stadium today against Hawkes Bay.
Lowrey first. The athletic loose forward made an impact with the Blues last season in the Super 14 before damaging knee ligaments against the Reds.
"He's had two games for the B's in the last two weeks and we see this as an opportunity to bring him back into the mix and see how he goes," Auckland coach Mark Anscombe said yesterday.
There's no expectation Lowrey will last 80 minutes but with Auckland looking to build on back-to-back wins in the topsy-turvy championship, he should be an asset.
Lowrey's return at No 8 moves Peter Saili to blindside flanker, while Francis Smith gets his chance at hooker for Tom McCartney, who has been ill this week.
The game will allow Anscombe to reacquaint himself with New Zealand world under-20 championship-winning skipper Aaron Cruden. Anscombe helped Manawatu coach Dave Rennie oversee the age group team and he likes first five-eighths Cruden's potential.
"He's a confidence player who reads the game very well," Anscombe said. "He knows how to take his team round the park and he's quite abrasive for a little man, not afraid to take the ball to the line."
And Anscombe knows Manawatu won't die wondering. For a side tipped to be one of the easier beats in the cup, they have turned expectations on their head to sit four points outside the semifinal-bound top four.
That is one of the reasons Anscombe is cautious about talking of building momentum, on the back of wins in the last two weeks.
"You can't get ahead of yourself. Two teams last night [Northland and Wellington] might have done that and got tipped up.
"Manawatu are a dangerous team, they've had good wins and if you don't close them down and put them behind the advantage line they'll cause you grief."
Boric returns to bolster a North Harbour side reeling from a five-game losing streak. He fractured a big toe against the Reds and recovery has been a slow process.
Counties-Manukau's fine win over Northland on Thursday night dropped Harbour to last, but coach Craig Dowd remains sanguine about his team's plight, which includes four of the five losses by four or fewer points.
"If we were getting thumped by 20 points every week and didn't have an answer then it'd be a different story. But any one of those (narrow losses) could have gone our way."
Dowd said there was no one constant about the run of defeats. "We just need something to go our way," he added.
Regular captain Anthony Tuitavake is on the bench, but likely to see a fair chunk of game time, after recovering from a pelvic injury.
Hawkes Bay, like Manawatu, are a threat from anywhere on the park. They have pacey backs and a decent pack.
Otago go back to the Ranfurly Shield well again in Christchurch today. They've come up empty since losing the shield in 1957 and will again fancy their chances.
No Tom Donnelly or Adam Thomson in the pack hurts them, but Canterbury are without senior All Blacks.
Having Donnelly and Canterbury's regular fullback Colin Slade sitting in the stand at Hamilton tonight as members No 29 and 30 in the All Black squad is a joke, but neither of the respective coaches, Steve Martin nor Rob Penney will be laughing.
NORTH HARBOUR v HAWKES BAY
North Harbour
Rudi Wulf
Jack McPhee
George Pisi
Andrew Mailei
Ken Pisi
Ben Botica
Chris Smylie
Vili Ma'afu
Tom Chamberlain
Chris Smith (c)
Anthony Boric
James King
Ben Afeaki
Mike Mayhew
Michael Reid
Reserves: James Hanson, James Afoa, Filo Paulo, Scott Uren, Matt France, Anthony Tuitavake, Josh York
Hawkes Bay
Israel Dagg
Jason Kupa
J. Shoemark (c)
Sam Giddens
Zac Guildford
Andrew Horrell
Chris Eaton
Thomas Waldrom
Karl Lowe
Michael Johnson
Ross Kennedy
Matt Egan
Clint Newland
Hika Elliot
Sona Taumalolo
Reserves: Ash Dixon, Josh Keys, Hugh Reed, George Naoupu, Dane Shelford, Aayden Clarke, Mark Jackman.
AUCKLAND v MANAWATU
Auckland
Paul Williams
Atieli Pakalani
Jamie Helleur
Benson Stanley (c)
Dave Thomas
Daniel Bowden
Taniela Moa
Chris Lowrey
Hamish Paterson
Peter Saili
A. van der Heijden
Kurtis Haiu
Tevita Mailau
Francis Smith
P. Fa'anunu
Reserves: Tom McCartney, Pauliasi Manu, Jay Williams, Onosai Auva'a, Auvasa Faleali'i, Ash Moeke, Winston Stanley
Manawatu
Casey Stone
Andre Taylor
Aaron James
Johnny Leota
Lote Raikabula
Aaron Cruden
Aaron Smith
Brent Thompson
Josh Bradnock (c)
Hamish Gosling
James Goode
Michael Fitzgerald
David Te Moana
Rob Foreman
Reserves: Sean O'Connor, Talau Hala, Lisiate Fa'aoso, Doug Teitjens, Isaac Thompson, Tomasi Cama, Kurt Baker
