Buller also participates in the four-union annual competition.
Coast has included a number of Player Origin and loan players this season including 32-year-old Linwood No 8 Troy Tauwhare, a 2018 NZ Heartland rep who has played more than 80 times for the union.
Other loose forwards include fellow Cantabrians Amenatave Tukana (more than 40 caps) and Nathan Evans.
Canterbury front rower Trent Lawn is listed as a Player of Origin.
Returnees from overseas include inside back Shane Anderson and lock Ethan Simpson while Feilding Yellows loan first-five Ben Wymess is a former Coaster. Another loan back is winger Todd Struthers from Christchurch.
It is the first time that the Butcher Boys have struck the West Coast on opening day and just the third time starting the season in the South Island, having pipped Mid Canterbury 24-23 at Ashburton in 2012 and losing 18-31 against South Canterbury in Timaru two years later.
The Coasters' first home success at Rugby Park was 21-5 in 1995, a season in which Whanganui was third behind Thames Valley and Poverty Bay in the old NPC Div 3 era. Coast was eighth.
West Coast managed back-to-back Heartland victories in 2013 (25-24 at Cooks Gardens) and 23-17 in Greymouth.
Since then the Butcher Boys have won three times — 74-6 in 2016 and 36-18 last year in local fixtures and 33-21 at renamed John Sturgeon Park in Greymouth in 2018.
Coast proved a tough side to beat at home that season despite finishing ninth, holding the visitors to 14-all at half-time after trailing 0-14.
The home team impressed with some solid forward play particularly in scrums and lineouts and that could well be the strength again this weekend.
Skipper declined
There were hopes of good news in the Whanganui camp last week with the possibility of the return of 46-cap rep skipper Campbell Hart as a loan player from King Country this season.
The 30-year-old New Zealand Heartland representative, now a Taumarunui school teacher, would have added a ton of experience as a side row forward or 1.94m lock. He retired as the winning Lochore Cup captain last year after helping Whanganui beat Buller 20-18 and Horowhenua-Kapiti 30-14 in the 2016 and 2017 Meads Cup finals.
With six years of valuable service to the union and three Heartland championships to his credit, Hart would have been be a great asset for new head coach Jason Hamlin.
Although Hart was keen to play for the Butcher Boys again this year King Country declined Whanganui's request for a clearance on the grounds it has a policy of not permitting players to rep for other Heartland unions.
By contrast some other unions have different views. Whanganui, for example, permitted Ngamatapouri rep winger Timoci Seruwalu, who went on to represent NZ Heartlands, to play for Horowhenua-Kapiti in 2018 and 2019 (winners of Lochore Cup). Seruwalu is back in the Whanganui rep squad since returning from Fiji.
It is not too many years ago that Whanganui released Ruapehu rep loose forward Andrew Evans (49 caps between 2003-13) as a loan player for the Rams.
Whanganui will be defending the Sir Colin Meads Memorial Log against King Country at Cooks Gardens on Saturday week in the second round of Heartland qualifying matches.
It was 48-13 to Whanganui last year in Taupo when King Country slipped to its lowest ever Heartland ranking of 12th and bottom.
New caps confirmed
There are nine new caps in the Whanganui Heartland squad of 30 which includes two apprentice players named for the championship campaign.
The newcomers are halfbacks Caleb Gray (Kaierau) and Kahl Elers-Green (Ruapehu) and three-quarters Tiari Mumby (Taihape) and apprentice Jack O'Leary (Marist) in the backs.
Newcomers in the forwards are props Tai Pulemagafa (Kaierau), Keightley Watson (Marist) and Slade Hay-Horton (Taihape), loose forward Regan Collier (Taihape) and apprentice lock-loosie Mason Johnson (Kaierau).
Former reps beyond last year returning are Taihape utility back Tyler Rogers-Holden (20 caps 2018-20), Border prop Ranato Tikoisolomone (19 caps 2015-19), Marist hooker Jack Yarrall (13 caps 2015-20), Kaierau lock Matt Ashworth (4 caps 2020) and Ngamatapouri loose forward Samu Kubunavanua (38 caps 2009-19).
Whanganui reps from last season back again are —
Backs —
Halfback Lindsay Horrocks (Border — 82 since 2013).
Utility — Ethan Robinson (Kaierau — 26 since 2017), Ezra Malo ((Hawke's Bay Player of Origin — Ex-Kaierau 3 last year), Dane Whale (Taihape — 58 since 2014).
Mid-Field — Josaia Bogileka (Marist — 13 since 2019), Kameli Kuruyabaki (Ngamatapouri — 26 since 2016).
Three-quarters — Peceli Malanicagi (Ngamatapouri — 6 last year), Timoci Seruwalu (Ngamatapouri — 21 since 2017), Alekesio Vakarorogo (13 since 2020).
Forwards —
Hookers — Roman Tutuaha (Taihape — 81 since 2012).
Prop — Gabriel Hakaraia (Taihape — 35 since 2016).
Locks — Peter Travis Hay-Horton (Taihape — 15 since 2018), Josh Lane (Kaierau — 23 since 2017).
Loose — Jamie Hughes (Taihape — 51 since 2016), Semi Vodesese (Border — 13 since 2020), Ben Whale (Taihape — 6 last year).
There are nine Taihape players, including six forwards, in the squad, six from Kaierau, five Ngamatapouri, four Border, three Marist and halfback Kahl Elers Green from Ruapehu.
Depending on injuries several loan players, mainly tight forwards, could be added to the squad.
Torrid dress rehearsal
Steelform Whanganui certainly received a real workout from the very aggressive Wellington Centurions in the squad's final outing before Heartland rugby starts this weekend.
It was the toughest of all four pre-season warm-up fixtures with the Butcher Boys not likely to strike many, if any, stronger opponents in the championship competition.
Considering the domination that the stronger and more physical visitors - particularly the taller Pacific Islanders - enjoyed, Whanganui played particularly well to finish just 10 points adrift at 19-29 .
Scoring two late tries enabled the locals to take the second spell scoring honours 12-10 against opponents who ran up 76 points against Wairarapa-Bush.
Whanganui may have won only one of the four warm-up matches — 45-27 over the HB Magpies in Napier — but held its own against the Manawatu Evergreens (15-38), Taranaki Development XV (33-38) and the Centurions.
These were the back-up squads for four of New Zealand's major NPC unions.
Although they were classed as non-first-class fixtures there was some fine football played and, despite selections being affected by injuries and Covid-19 issues at times, the squad members have gained very valuable match play against strong opposition.
In the four games Whanganui scored 112 points and conceded 132 (average score 28-33), scoring 18 tries and conceding 21.
Ezra Malo scored 23 pts (try and nine conversion), Ben Whale, Tiari Mumby, Jamie Hughes and Kahl Elers-Green 2 tries each and Gabriel Hakaraia, Semi Vodesese, Jack Yarrall, Mason Johnson, Jack O'Leary, Kameli Kuruyabaki, Timoci Seruwalu, Elekesio Vakarorogo, Peceli Malanicagi tries, Brook Tremayne 2 con.
Now Whanganui flies off to Greymouth on Friday and hopefully returns on Saturday night with the scalp of West Coast and, hopefully, a bonus point into the bargain.
PREVIOUS RESULTS v WEST COAST
1985 — Wanganui won 22-6 Wanganui NPC Div 2
1986 — Wanganui won 32-6 Hokitika
1988 — Wanganui won 68-0 Wanganui NPC Div 3
1989 — Wanganui won 44-10 Greymouth NPC Div 3
1992 — Wanganui won 24-5 Hokitika NPC Div 3
1993 — Wanganui Won 81-9 Wanganui NPC Div 3
1994 — Wanganui won 22-15 Greymouth NPC Div 3
1995 — West Coast won 21-5 Wanganui NPC Div 3
1996 — Wanganui won 16-12 Greymouth NPC Div 3
2002 — Wanganui won 33-25 Wanganui NPC Div 3
2003 — Wanganui won 39-29 Greymouth NPC Div 3
2008 — Wanganui won 52-7 Greymouth Meads Cup
Wanganui won 40-18 Wanganui Meads Cup SF
2009 — Wanganui won 33-9 Wanganui Heartland
2010 — Wanganui won 41-15 Wanganui Heartland
2011 — Wanganui won 69-12 Greymouth Heartland
2013 — West Coast won 25-24 Wanganui Heartland
2014 — West Coast won 23-17 Greymouth Heartland
2016 — Wanganui won 74-6 Wanganui Heartland
2018 — Wanganui won 33-21 Greymouth Heartland
2019 — Wanganui won 36-18 Wanganui Heartland
Overall Record — Played 21 Matches
Wanganui won 18 — 805 pts
West Coast won 3 — 292 pts
Average score — 38-14
Heartland Record — 10 Matches
Wanganui won 8 — 419 pts
West Coast won 2 — 154 pts
Average score — 42-15
