Wanganui depth holds firm

The experiment with young fullback Te Rangatira Waitokia will continue with the first game against West Coast tomorrow.

Ordinarily, if you took a Mitre 10 Heartland team and had their international first-five and star winger sit out of the opening game, while including a NZ Heartland flanker playing his first match in five weeks, it would be a cause for concern.

So it is a testament to the tremendous depth of this Steelform Wanganui team where the squad which begins the season against West Coast tomorrow at Cooks Gardens nonethless remains intimidating for their opposition and can feel quite composed about their assignment.

After shuffling a few forwards around in the past fortnight of preseason games, coach Jason Caskey has brought back the bulk with prop Tietie Tuimauga and hooker Roman Tutauha starting alongside Viki Tofa to set a platform against a visiting team with three Canterbury imports in the pack.

Locks Kalave Aualiitia and Amenatave Tukana come from the Sydenham and Belfast clubs, while flanker Tu'uta Simaili also has the bulk to move into prop if need be.

But with Irishman Gavin Thornbury and established lock Sam Madams having been in solid form in the preseason games, Wanganui should be able to set their own agenda in the set piece, backed up by the loosie trio of Campbell Hart, Malakai Volau and Peter Rowe

The only heavyweight not available is Renato Tikoisolomone to take his place as reserve loose forward, as his injured arm was checked on Tuesday where there was the good news of only bad bruising, likely meaning just a week's stand down.

Therefore the very eager Bryn Hudson gets to make his comeback from the hamstring injury which was sidelined him since club finals day on July 23, with assistant coach Jason Hamlin saying his scheduled trot for the Development XV this weekend had to be forgotten.

"He's obviously keen and ready to go, but the original plan was to play through [into fitness].

"But numbers being what they are, the causalty ward this year for Wanganui is big.

"It's been great having these [preseason] games, but having them has given more opportunity to injury."

In the backline, Dane Whale will again keep the starting No10 jumper with Irish import Steve Crosbie's ankle not worth the gamble.

"It's erring on the side of caution. The hope was to get him right for ths weekend but it hasn't happened," said Hamlin.

Samu Kubunavanua, scorer of the 2015 Try of the Year, is likewise not quite over his ankle injury but given winger Simon Dibben has been doing the job well since the Ranfurly Shield game, again Wanganui lose little in terms of experiance and squad continuity.

"The last couple of years we've had a core group and brought a heap of people through," said Hamlin.

"You'd have to be happy as a Heartland coach.

"Dibby, he's got a great attitude and a great workrate."

Now the team is into the real competition, the spotlight will be on 21-year-old fullback Te Rangatira Waitokia, who Hamlin would desperately like to keep in Heartland rugby for at least a second season before the big city scouts come calling.

"He's not a finished product by any means, but he won't die wondering," said Hamlin.

"By next year, he'd be humming, that kid."

Given no current Heartland teams have faced the bolter before, Hamlin feels his broken field running could catch them out in much the same way as Taranaki's new first-five Stephen Perofeta would open up entire backlines with his sidestep last year.

"If they couldn't stop Stephen, they aren't going to have a show of stopping this kid."

As well as new faces, Wanganui could also have a bit of a language barrier to overcome as captain Rowe communicates with referee Nori Hashimoto, currently in New Zealand on excursion from Kyoto.

Hamlin confirmed his skipper from Ohakune is unlikely to know much Japanese.

"I doubt it. He might know some French.

"Pretty sure he'll be able to portray any message he wants out there. It's something different."

Looking through the West Coast lineup, captain Dave Crouchley will lead from the front along with hooker Troy Tauwhare, a former skillful back.

Currently in Christchurch, Nik Cumming is very much a local product having come through the grades on the Coast and returns as an origin player.

It goes without saying the Greymouth team would like slow and muddy conditions as an equaliser at Cooks Gardens tomorrow, although Hamlin is confident of a solid track after the last preseason match with Wairarapa-Bush was moved to Spriggens Park.

"The ground's fairly solid. Given that bit of rest she's come up well.

"I don't think it will turn into the mudbath, but you never know."

There is also the small matter of Wanganui addressing the statistical anolomonly of ending the Coasters recent winning streak.

West Coast won the last match between the side's at Cooks Gardens - a shattering 25-24 defeat in 2013 which saw Wanganui miss the the Meads Cup finals for the first time.

It got little better the following year as the Coasters went back-to-back in Greymouth, winning 23-17 in pouring rain, while the sides did not meet in 2015.

Kickoff is 2.30pm.

The teams are:

Wanganui
1. Viki Tofa; 2. Roman Tutauha; 3. Tietie Tuimauga; 4. Sam Madams; 5. Gavin Thornbury; 6. Campbell Hart; 7. Peter Rowe (c); 8. Malakai Volau; 9. Lindsay Horrocks; 10. Dane Whale; 11. Michael Nabuliwaqe; 12. Kameli Kuruyabaki; 13. Craig Clare; 14. Simon Dibben; 15. Te Rangatira Waitokia.
Reserves - Forwards: 16. Cole Baldwin; 17. Hamish Mellow; 18. Tremaine Gilbert; 19. Bryn Hudson. Backs: 20. Kane Tamou; 21. Cameron Crowley; 22. Ace Malo.

West Coast
1. Dave Crouchley (c); 2. Troy Tauwhare; 3. Daniel Ford; 4. Kalave Aualiitia; 5. Amenatave Tukana; 6. Brogan Watt; 7. Tu'uta Simaili; 8. Inia Toka; 9. Trent Reti; 10. Nik Cumming; 11. Chad Ternant-Kingi; 12. Josh Costello; 13. Regan Stanton; 14. Beau Cain; 15. Brad Tunnicliffe.
Reserves: 16. Jacks Dreunimolea; 17. Kelly Rasmusson; 18. Martyn Tootell; 19. Logan Winter; 20. Nick Makea; 21. Brett McBride; 22. Maleli Mudu.