After last year's thriller in Paeroa, Wanganui captain Roman Tutauha, with ball, and team cannot take first time Meads Cup semifinalists Thames Valley lightly on Saturday. Photo by Merrilyn George.
After last year's thriller in Paeroa, Wanganui captain Roman Tutauha, with ball, and team cannot take first time Meads Cup semifinalists Thames Valley lightly on Saturday. Photo by Merrilyn George.
As the English writer Stephen Cole once said, "nerves can be useful, as they sharpen you up, make you determined to try your hardest and do your best".
Despite the fact he is guiding an undefeated 2018 Steelform Wanganui team into their fourth straight Meads Cup semifinal on Saturday, and his 10th overall as either head coach or assistant, Jason Caskey admits he and the squad still get the butterflies as they prepare for the fresh challenge coming from the no-doubt excited Thames Valley at Cooks Gardens.
"You're always nervous about it. If anybody says they aren't, they're probably liars," said Caskey.
"The nerves are what your addrenaline is based on.
"Although being there a few times before, you're more prepared."
In their ten appearences, Wanganui have never lost a Meads Cup semifinal, although Thames Valley supporters would technicially argue the same, given the Waikato country union have had their best Heartland season with five wins to qualify in fourth place, a marked improvement on not even making the Lochore Cup playoffs since 2013.
Identical to the South Canterbury vs King Country semifinal in Timaru, these two teams have not met each other in 2018, and Caskey was not able to access Thames Valley's game footage from their last round robin match until after Tuesday night training.
"We're pretty well prepared, but you're never quite 100 per cent if you haven't seen them.
"It's easier if you've played them."
Eliminated after the 2017 round robin, this is the first year either Thames Valley or King Country have made the Meads Cup playoffs, with Caskey noting the rapid progression of Wanganui's northern neighbours and is positive they will be eager when stepping up to the big time.
"That's part of it too. Thames Valley especially were a good team last year, and I thought they were unlucky missing out on Lochore Cup, as they were looking at a home game in their last match [a loss].
"It was such a little spread [on points table] that they missed out."
Under second year coach Matt Bartleet, Thames Valley had a rough start at home in Te Aroha, losing to a 27-25 West Coast comeback in the dying minutes, but they rebounded with two important away wins over Wairarapa Bush (44-32) and Buller (43-22).
Coming back home saw a 37-29 defeat to neighbours King Country, but the 'Swampfoxes' finally gave their supporters some reward with a 43-21 win over North Otago.
Their Meads Cup berth was secured by stunning last-second wins over Poverty Bay in Gisborne (37-34) and then Horowhenua-Kapiti in Te Aroha (29-27), scoring a match-winning penalty kick and try respectively.
That locked Thames Valley into third spot until the 33-24 loss to South Canterbury in Timaru last Saturday saw King Country leapfrog them.
First-five Reece Broughton has scored 71 points this season, while their top tryscorers include Waikato import backs Keiran Lee (6) and Harry Lafituanai (4), along with popular local second-five Sam 'Guns' McCahon (5).
Rounding out the Waikato imports are flankers Connor McVerry and Christian Kelleher, so Caskey said he intended to have a word with Wanganui's import lock Henri Williams at Thursday training, given McVerry is a clubmate at Fraser Tech, while Williams has no doubt tangled with the other three a couple of times too.
Thames Valley have plenty of height in lock Matt Rolston, while props Te Huia Kutia and Sitiveni Topou combine for 280kg, representing a challenge for Wanganui's Kamipeli Latu and Viki Tofa, although the latter is in red-hot form with a try in each of his last four matches.
In changes from last weekend's team, flanker Angus Middleton did not train on Tuesday after his knee injury when diving for a loose ball at the Horowhenua-Kapiti tryline.
Giving him time to recover, Middleton moves to the bench for Jamie Hughes, with Jackson Campbell on standby.
Having completed his two-week suspension for striking, Auckland loan No8 Mike Tafili, replacing Bryn Hudson.
A last-minute withdrawal with a sternum injury last Saturday, winger Cameron Crowley returns, with Kaveni Dabenaise moving back to centre and Kameli Kuruyabaki going to the bench as originally planed.
Ethan Robinson stays in the reserves in a four-three split between forwards and backs, after Wanganui went with a five-two set up last weekend with prop Wiremu Cottrell.
The last time these two teams played each other was the horribly wet September 2 afternoon last year, when Wanganui had to comeback twice and then just held on 21-19 at the Paeroa Domain, sweating on Thames Valley missing a penalty kick right on fulltime.
Kickoff on Saturday is 2.30pm.
The teams are
Wanganui 1. Kamipeli Latu; 2. Roman Tutauha (c); 3. Viki Tofa; 4. Sam Madams; 5. Henri Williams; 6. Campbell Hart; 7. Jamie Hughes; 8. Michael Tafili; 9. Lindsay Horrocks; 10. Craig Clare; 11. Cameron Crowley; 12. Penijamini Nabainivalu; 13. Kaveni Dabenaise; 14. Simon Dibben; 15. Tyler Rogers-Holden. Reserves – Forwards: 16. Jack Yarrall; 17. Gabriel Hakaraia; 18. Tremaine Gilbert; 19. Angus Middleton/Jackson Campbell. Backs: 20. Dane Whale; 21. Kameli Kuruyabaki; 22. Ethan Robinson.
Thames Valley 1. Te Huia Kutia; 2. Glen McIntyre; 3. Sitiveni Topou; 4. Matt Rolston; 5. Connor McVerry; 6. Cameron Dromgool; 7. Christian Kelleher; 8. Brett Ranga; 9. Ben Bonnar; 10. Reece Broughton; 11. Kieran Lee; 12. Sam McCahon; 13. Harry Lafituanai; 14. Ethan Seymour; 15. Nathan Emery. Reserves: 16. Shin Ouchi; 17. Lance Easton; 18. Lewis Keegan; 19. Ben Vincent; 20. Matt Fisher; 21. Cole Berridge; 22. Abraham Matiu.
In a season full of player milestones, another will be celebrated on Saturday as Steelform Wanganui lock Sam Madams will play his 50th first class game for his province in the Meads Cup semifinal.
Having debuted as a replacement against Mid Canterbury on the same Cooks Gardens ground in 2009, Madams would make only two other appearances over the next five seasons, until returning coach Jason Caskey made him a frontliner in 2014.
Madams would repay the faith as he has played a key role in the Lochore Cup win and then as part of the 2015-17 Meads Cup three-peat.
Named Wanganui's player of the season in 2017, Madams was chosen in the NZ Heartland XV, only to be left out after a spat with then-coach Barry Matthews.
Madams has had another strong campaign in 2018 and Caskey paid credit to 'Loaf' becoming a senior member of the forward pack.
"He's grown a whole lot as a person and a player, and he's one of the mainstays. Good on him."
Madams follows wingers Cameron Crowley and Simon Dibben, who played their 50th games this season, while first-five Craig Clare played his 100th first-class match across several provincial unions.
Now with Marist, Madams will aim to emulate his old Border clubmate Lindsay Horrocks, whose 50th game came in last year's semifinal win over South Canterbury in Timaru.
Sam Madams will play his 50th game for Wanganui in the Meads Cup semifinal against Thames Valley on Saturday.
