Robinson (3 games) has returned from overseas while Seruwalu (nine caps and 45 points) and Hemi (8 matches) have represented Horowhenua-Kapiti since last wearing the Wanganui colours
Seruwalu, an NZ Heartland rep last year, took the field as a replacement when Wanganui beat Horowhenua-Kapiti 30-14 in the 2017 Meads Cup final in Levin and was at centre when Horowhenua-Kapiti beat Wairarapa-Bush 26-23 in the 2018 Lochore Cup final.
He played for Ngamatapouri in the local Tasman Tanning premier club championship this year, scoring six tries and winning the WRFU Grand Irish Bar MVP award.
Seruwalu, who scored nine tries for Wanganui in 2017 including one in the 71-5 Ranfurly Shield challenge against Canterbury and a hat-trick in a record 79-7 home Heartland victory against Wairarapa-Bush, repped 13 times and scored 35 points for Horowhenua-Kapiti in 2018-19.
Although he played only three matches because of injury last season, he still gained NZ Heartland selection.
Hemi (Foxton), who played eight times at first five or fullback for the Butcher Boys in 2017 while still at Collegiate, also suffered injury problems with Horowhenua-Kapiti last year, making five appearances for the union.
The newcomers in the Wanganui squad are midfield back Alekesio Vakarorogo (Border), Taihape prop Hadlee Hay-Horton, who had previously played several non-first-class games for the union in 2016, Kaierau lock Matt Ashworth and loose forwards Lennox Shanks (Taihape) and Semi Vodosese (Border).
Club champions Border provide eight players, Kaierau seven, 2019 champions Taihape five, Ruapehu three and Ngamatapouri, Marist and Senior champions Ratana one each.
The most experienced local reps are halfback Lindsay Horrocks (70 games), first five Dane Whale (45), prop Kamipeli Latu (42) and loose forwards Jamie Hughes (38) and skipper Campbell Hart (33).
The top points scorers are utility back Craig Clare (267 pts), fullback Nick Harding (136), Dane Whale (114), Lindsay Horrocks (87), three-quarter Vereniki Tikoisolomone (65), utility back Tyler Rogers-Holden (50) and Timoci Seruwalu (45).
There are 16 members from last season's squad missing including hooker Roman Tutauha (72 caps), lock Sam Madams (50), loose forwards Bryn Hudson (40), Samu Kubunavanua (38), Angus Middleton (26 – getting married) and Ranato Tikoisolomone (19) and midfield back Peni Nabainivalu (17 – in Fiji).
Ruapehu utility back Troy Brown, who played nine of his 15 games for Wanganui last year, was named in the 2020 squad but is moving to Bay of Plenty and has withdrawn.
The squad (including ages, games for Wanganui and points scored) –
Backs
Border – Lindsay Horrocks (30, 70, 87), Craig Clare (36, 28, 267), Vereniki Tikoiolomne (21, 10, 65), Alekesio Vakarorogo (27), Nick Harding (27, 22, 136).
Kaierau – Cameron Davies (23, 2, 0), Ethan Robinson (24, 17, 10).
Taihape – Dane Whale (28, 45, 114), Tyler Roger-Holden (26, 17, 50).
Ngamatapouri – Timoci Seruwalu (28, 9, 45).
Ratana – Cody Hemi (22, 8, 10).
Marist- Josaia Bogileka (29, 2, 0).
Forwards
Border – Kamipeli Latu (30, 42, 25), Jack Hodges (31, 2, 5), Semi Vodosese (21).
Kaierau – Joe Edwards (24, 3, 0), Josh Lane (29, 11, 5), Matt Ashworth (26), Cade Robinson (25, 3, 0).
Taihape – Wiremu Cottrell (27, 13, 5), Hadlee Hay-Horton (23), Dylan Gallien (21, 13, 5), Lennox Shanks (19).
Ruapehu – Gabriel Hakaraia (23, 24, 10), Jamie Hughes (30, 38, 48), Campbell Hart (28, 33, 21).
Off to Shannon
When Wanganui play Horowhenua-Kapiti in Shannon, it will be the fourth time that the Butcher Boys have played in the small township (population 1500).
Wanganui won 14-6 in 1958 and lost 6-14 two years later in first-class fixtures against the old Horowhenua union and retained the Bruce Steel Memorial Cup 36-14 in 2012 in a non-first-class game against Horowhenua-Kapiti.
Darren Munro, Simon Dibben, Tremaine Gilbert, Ace Malo, Moli Sagapolutele and Nathan Ramsay (Taradale loan player) scored for Wanganui in 2012 with Malo (2) and Nick Harding landing conversions.
Harding is the only player from that side in the current rep squad.
Loose forwards Ron Horton (Taihape Pirates) with 2 and Trevor Stent (WHSOB) scored tries for the Len Hill-coached 1958 winners with future All Black first five Bruce Watt (Hunterville) kicking a dropped goal and Lindsay Lett (Wanganui Pirates) a penalty and three conversions.
John Payne (Huia) scored a try and Lucky Manunui (Hunterville) a penalty in the 1960 loss by the Laddie Transom-coached Butcher Boys.
The Shannon Rugby Club, founded in 1899, 18 years after the township 15km from Levin, was formed and named after George Shannon (1842-1920), a director of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company which acquired 218,000 acres of township land.
Shannon originally adjoined extensive flax growing land and a large mill operated, as did the railway line with the nearby Mangahau power station, 5km away, the second to be built in NZ and the oldest still operating.
Win is vital
With two trophy matches fast approaching, Wanganui badly need a bold showing on Saturday.
After the loss in Napier last Saturday, and with an away defence of the Pinetree Log against King Country (Oct 10) and a home challenge for the Bruce Steel Memorial Cup against Wairarapa-Bush (Oct 17) fast approaching, a win in Shannon is a must.
Wanganui had a patchy game in the Napier loss last weekend but with the NZ Heartland trio of halfback Lindsay Horrocks, utility back Crag Clare and three-quarter Timoci Seruwalu, who between them have scored 399 points for the union, expected to return, the Butcher Boys will have a far more dangerous backline on Saturday.
Since the formation of Horowhenua-Kapiti in 1997, Wanganui have suffered only four defeats in 21 first-class fixtures – the last occasion being a 15-8 loss at Cooks Gardens in 2017, the visitors lifting the Bruce Steel Memorial Cup thanks to Tawa loan first five James So'olalo landing five penalty goals.
The cracker-jack Wellington goal kicker scored 251 points for Horowhenua, including in 19 of 20 games in two seasons to help the union reach two Mitre 10 home Heartland finals – the 2017 Meads Cup against Wanganui (losing 14-30) and the 2018 Lochore Cup against Wairarapa-Bush (winning 26-23) after So'olalo had landed six penalties to oust visiting Buller 18-17 a week earlier in the semifinals.
Unfortunately for Horowhenua the ace goal-kicker then moved to Australia and the union plunged from No 2 and No 5 in Heartland rankings to ninth last season, winning only three of eight games.
One of the defeats was 36-19 at home to Meads Cup runners-up Wanganui. A dozen of the winning side return this weekend.
Several Wanganui reps have played for Horowhenua in recent years but there is only one – NZ Army lock Sonny Woodmass (14 games for the Butcher Boys in 2013-14 while with Ruapehu) – in the squad this season.
Woodmass (1.99m tall) is one of eight Shannon players in the new-look squad which lost 33-8 to Wairarapa-Bush in a trial match and beat Central Hawke's Bay 59-12 last weekend.
Horowhenua will be boosted by the return of skipper Ryan Shelford, an 88-cap former NZ Heartland lock who missed last season because of injury.
The solid front row includes props Scott Cameron (a 51-cap NZ Heartland rep) and Dave McErlean (46 games) with 20-cap lock Joel Winterburn also playing.
Key backs include NZ Heartland winger Willie Pala'aua (32 games) and utility Himiona Henare (17 games), who scored 58 points last season including five tries.
In addition to the ex-Wanganui reps, including halfback Kane Tamou and midfielder Hemi, who played locally for unbeaten Senior champions Ratana this season, Horowhenua are without 2019 skipper and NZ Heartland loose forward Aaron Lahmert (57 games) and Massey University prop Robin Pratt (44 caps).
There are 12 new caps in the home squad compared with Wanganui's five.
Local "Log" connections
There was a Wanganui connection in both the Taranaki and Otago teams in last Sunday's Ranfurly Shield match at Inglewood.
Both Otago winger Vilimoni Koroi and Taranaki fullback Stephen Perofeta were born in Wanganui and started their rugby careers locally.
Koroi, who also helped Otago lift the "log" 23-19 off Waikato in 2018 and set up a try in the 30-19 win in Inglewood, played age-grade rep rugby in Wanganui before schooling in Manawatu.
He went on to represent Otago more than 30 times since 2017, was a Highlanders Super player this year, but is better known as a world-class NZ Sevens playmaker.
Perofeta, who helped Wanganui beat South Canterbury 26-11 as a Collegiate schoolboy in the Meads Cup final in 2015, scored a try for Taranaki last weekend.
He was an NZ Heartland rep in 2016 and has played more than 30 times for Taranaki since then, plus for the Auckland Super side.
Both players are former NZ Under-20 internationals.
Koroi also helped Otago lift the Shield 23-19 off Waikato in Hamilton last year against a side that included Taihape-born halfback Jack Stratton, a former NZ Universities skipper who had previously played for Canterbury including a 71-5 Ranfurly Shield whipping of Wanganui in 2017.
That same year, Stratton, son of 79 Wanganui rep cap Peter Stratton and married to the daughter of 139 cap and 1976 All Black trialist Bob Barrell, played for the NZ Barbarians Provincial side in the narrow 13-7 opening tour game by the British Isles in Whangarei.
Peter Rowe (Wanganui) played in the fixture as the only Heartland union representative.
Otago's home Shield defences this season are against Hawke's Bay (on Sunday), Counties-Manukau (Oct 18), Northland (Oct 23) and Tasman (Nov 14).
