Having waited patiently for season after season, Jack Hodges gets his chance to play Heartland rugby against East Coast on Saturday.
Having waited patiently for season after season, Jack Hodges gets his chance to play Heartland rugby against East Coast on Saturday.
The prospect of being uncatchable on the Mitre 10 Heartland Championship points table and guaranteeing two potential Meads Cup home playoffs has not stopped Steelform Wanganui from offering their understudy's one more starting match against East Coast on Saturday.
Facing a home side who have not won a first class game since 2013, four or more competition points in Tolaga Bay means Wanganui could not be caught by any of the three teams currently sharing second place with one round robin game remaining.
Nevertheless, coach Jason Caskey has promoted a number of regular bench and wider squad players to the starting lineup, one of them a necessity as No 8 Bryn Hudson will make a comeback after the surprise fortnight suspension of import Mike Tafili.
It is one of several changes to the forward pack, as Roman Tutauha regains his place at hooker and will also reclaim the captaincy from Campbell Hart going forward.
Both Hart and Waikato import Henri Williams move back to the bench as Tremaine Gilbert and Angus Middleton are the preferred flankers, with Jamie Hughes therefore being rested, so room could be made for the long awaited debut of loyal servant Jack Hodges at lock.
Dane Whale is likely to be heading to Palmerston North with the Whanganui Maori team as Caskey continues with the Craig Clare and Tyler Rogers-Holden experiment of first-five/fullback, with Ethan Robinson rejoining the reserves after an excellent game in the curtain raiser last weekend.
Joshua Fifita will be tried at halfback with incumbent Lindsay Horrocks moving to the bench.
Prop Kamipeli Latu will get a week to rest his leg issues, while second-five Peni Nabainivalu is also having a break as Caskey goes with the young props Gabriel Hakaraia and Wiremu Cottrell, and the midfield pairing of Kameli Kuruyabaki and Kaveni Dabenaise respectively.
Tom Symes joins the starting lineup after debuting last weekend off the bench, providing a balance of youth and experience on the wings given stalwart Cameron Crowley is set to become the latest player to bring up 50 first class games for Wanganui.
Wanganui had been talking changes post-match last Saturday and Caskey said he was confident enough to trust the youngsters to get the win, given the final pool game with 2017 Meads Cup finalists and neighbours Horowhenua-Kapiti is no sure thing.
"You've got to take the opportunity, because otherwise, you worry about every match and it's easy to talk yourself out of giving people the opportunity.
"Because then, when do you stop?
"We're definitely not taking East Coast for granted.
"Then everyone has had at least one starting opportunity.
"From now, after this week, we'll be going with a starting team and a bench and running with it."
Hodges' elevation to the top Wanganui team for his first class debut is a testament to dedication.
Since 2013, the lock has been a top club rugby performer for Border and then a mainstay of both the Wanganui Development XV and Whanganui Maori sides, while being constantly named in preseason Heartland training squads.
However, other locks, often from outside the region, would be brought in and elevated ahead of Hodges, which can be the sort of discouragement that has seen local players in other positions drift away from the Wanganui scene after a couple of seasons to do something else.
Caskey is more than happy to finally bring him in and immediately give Hodges the No 5 jumper to partner the in-form Sam Madams.
"He's done a lot of training so he deserves an opportunity."
Hudson's case is interesting after the 2017 Heartland player of the year nominee has had a couple of trots with the Development XV, but injury and other commitments meant he has not been his usual dominant self, hence Tafili's arrival.
Caskey will be looking for Hudson to reclaim the form which has been a cornerstone of the team's Lochore and Meads Cup success.
"He's going to have to, he's got two weeks to show everybody what he's got.
"But it's not doing too much individual stuff, just pitching in as part of the team."
After his impressive return 30 minute stint last weekend, Tutauha will likely extend himself out to at least 50 minutes in Tolaga Bay before handing over to former starter Jack Yarrall, with Hart likely to assume the on-field leadership.
Caskey reserves the right to bring the skipper off earlier or keep him on later, depending on how he's trucking.
"No use busting his valve at this stage.
"We've been lucky, [Hart's] done a fantastic role.
"Might not be down on paper as the captain, but he's still be helping Roman as much as he can."
With the advantage of a direct flight from Whanganui to Gisborne, Caskey is not sure if East Coast moving the game away from their home ground at Ruatoria to Tologa Bay will be an advantage or disadvantage.
On one hand, it is an hour less in the bus, with Tologa Bay being only 45 minutes from Gisborne, which is where the team will have their captain's run and stay the night after their 1pm flight.
On the other, Caskey knows little about the current state of the domain ground at the bay, where he himself once played back in his own Wanganui representative career, although certainly none of the 2018 squad will have been there.
"I don't think it will be too bad.
"It's very close to the seas, so it's going to be humid. I think it's right down by the beach."
It will be an unique occasion for Wanganui to play a rugby game in Tolaga Bay.
The trials and tribulations of East Coast in Heartland rugby are well known.
Finishing either 11th or wooden-spooners every season from 2006-2010, in 2011 the small union which represents two towns with less than 2000 people combined, brought in some loan players and did some 'creative accounting' to access others born in the region.
The success was immediate as they finished runnerup to Wanganui in 2011 and then beat them with an amazing comeback in Ruatoria to claim the 2012 Meads Cup.
However, the next year East Coast won only two matches, lost two competition points and were fined $3000 for fielding an ineligible local player, which started the downward slide back to the bottom of the table, where they have been unable to win a match since.
They have been somewhat competitive at home this season, losing to Horowhenua-Kapiti (46-8), Wairarapa Bush (26-5) and were desperately unlucky against neighbours Poverty Bay (26-19).
The road games have been a disaster, with maulings by King Country (75-17), South Canterbury (100-7), and Mid Canterbury (56-7).
The Wanganui team is 1. Gabriel Hakaraia/Wiremu Cottrell; 2. Roman Tutauha (c); 3. Viki Tofa; 4. Sam Madams; 5. Jack Hodges; 6. Tremaine Gilbert; 7. Angus Middleton; 8. Bryn Hudson; 9. Joshua Fifita; 10. Craig Clare; 11. Cameron Crowley; 12. Kameli Kuruyabaki; 13. Kaveni Dabenaise; 14. Tom Symes; 15. Tyler Rogers-Holden. Reserves – Forwards: 16. Jack Yarrall; 17. Wiremu Cottrell/Gabriel Hakaraia; 18. Henri Williams; 19. Campbell Hart. Backs: 20. Lindsay Horrocks; 21. Ethan Robinson; 22. Shandon Scott.
* * * *
Wanganui will be without Auckland loan No 8 Mike Tafili for two games after being suspended on the charge of striking in the 45-14 win over Buller at Cooks Gardens last Saturday.
The first Wanganui representative suspension in several years, Tafili had been sinbinned in the third minute of the game, however the suspension came after he was cited by Buller for a 28th minute incident that was unseen by the referees, involving a player who is the Buller manager's son.
Evidence of niggle had been verified by other players.
