Preview: Air NZ Cup, Part Two
The Turbos: Charged up for Round Two
After the steady flow of upsets in the opening round it will be fascinating to see if the underdogs have as much bite in Round Two of the Air New Zealand Cup.
Defending champions Auckland and fellow heavyweights Waikato were both upset last weekend and need to bounce back.
On Friday, Manawatu who pulled off the other big shock of Round One by beating Canterbury for the first time in more than a quarter of a century, face Southland, while two opening round losers, Waikato and Tasman square off.
Among Saturday's matches, Counties Manukau back up their defeat of Auckland with an away trip to Bay of Plenty.
Otago, first-up winners over Southland, face Canterbury, while Hawke's Bay will take on a Northland side buoyed by their victory over Waikato.
Manawatu v Southland
Manawatu have inherited confidence from their mega-victory over Canterbury last Saturday and Southland, a narrow loser in Round One, now have the tricky job of facing a fired-up green-and-white side on their own patch.
The Turbos were a well-performed team at home in 2007 but 2008 opened with the minnows gaining their first away win at top level for 21 years.
The forward effort was excellent and the midfield were on fire, creating a couple of turnovers that Manawatu made count with two tries.
Manawatu had to make 233 tackles last week and fell off only 25 for an 89 per cent success rate, while Canterbury had to make only 120 hits.
"We target 90 per cent as being great," said Turbos coach Dave Rennie.
"Defence will win you games."
Discipline wins games too and Southland were left to rue giving away a penalty in the final seconds of the match last week that handed Otago victory following a long-range kick that just dropped over the bar.
Southland could, and should, have won at Invercargill but somehow managed to come second. The Stags are better than that but will need to find a bit more back-line punch this time out.
The sole change to the Turbos' starting XV is Doug Tietjens in for injured skipper Josh Bradnock. That means lock Hayden Triggs again assumes the captaincy while utility forward Paul Rodgers is added to the bench.
Bradnock's Achilles tendon strain could keep him out until the Ranfurly Shield challenge against Auckland on August 23.
Southland coaches Simon Culhane and David Henderson have also made changes to their side.
Out with a hamstring tear is giant former Taranaki number eight Noa Soqeta.
Southland will have two fast flankers with Dion Bates in at number six and Highlanders forward Hoani MacDonald moving from flank back to lock, while David Hall replaces former New Zealand Colts hooker Matt Holloway in the front row.
At scrum-half, Jimmy Cowan's younger brother, Scott, replaces Dane Shelford, a son of former Kiwi rugby league player Adrian.
Out with a toe injury is massive prop and captain, Jamie Mackintosh, and out for the season is Highlanders full-back James Wilson.
The two teams have met 36 times since 1905, with Manawatu posting 19 wins and Southland 14. However, Manawatu last beat Southland in 1993. The biggest win belongs to Southland, 61-6 in 1986.
Prediction: Southland are probably the underdogs after what happened last weekend. However we are confident the Stags can reverse the first round result but only if they concentrate for the full 80 minutes. Southland to win by six points.
The teams:
Manawatu: 15 Francisco Bosch, 14 Aaron James, 13 Johnny Leota, 12 Francis Bryant, 11 Andre Taylor, 10 Matty James, 9 Aaron Good, 8 Nick Crosswell, 7 Doug Tietjens, 6 Hamish Gosling, 5 James Goode, 4 Hayden Triggs (c), 3 Talau Hala, 2 Rob Foreman, 1 Grant Polson.
Replacements: 16 Sean O'Connor, 17 David Te Moana, 18 Paul Rodgers, 19 Adaam Ross, 20 Aaron Smith, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Lote Raikabula.
Southland: 15 Mark Wells, 14 Matt Saunders, 13 Kendrick Lynn, 12 Jason Kawau (c), 11 Pehi Te Whare, 10 Blair Stewart, 9 Scott Cowan, 8 Hua Tamariki, 7 Tim Boys, 6 Dion Bates, 5 Hoani Macdonald, 4 Josh Bekhuis, 3 Chris King, 2 David Hall, 1 Fai Mika.
Replacements: 16 Matt Holloway, 17 Micheal Peterson, 18 Daniel Ramsay, 19 John Hardie, 20 Dane Shelford, 21 Willie Rickards, 22 Robbie Robinson.
Date: Friday, August 8
Venue: FMG Stadium, Palmerston North
Kick-off: 19:35 (07:35 GMT)
Referee: Jonathon White
TMO: Lyndon Bray
Waikato v Tasman
Kiwi rugby fans were provided with the first Air New Zealand Cup upset of the year last Thursday when Waikato was downed 18-10 by a spirited Northland side in Whangarei.
The rest of the season for Waikato begins with the Mooloos' first home game of the season where it will face a solid-looking Tasman side.
Tasman went close to beating Bay of Plenty last weekend and showed it is a team that should definitely not be written off, especially in a competition that, so far, has been littered with upsets.
The Makos hung tough in an old-fashioned mudbath at Blenheim, but Bay of Plenty's superior kicking game allowed the Steamers to turn the screw after half-time and the late penalty that decided the match was a well-deserved reward for the visitors.
For Waikato, it ended up just being the simple things that let them down last week.
They played the better rugby, and looking at the stats on possession and territory, were the better team. They just blew it with silly mistakes close to the Northland line.
Northland were historically difficult to beat at home and had extra incentive this season with their future in the Air New Zealand Cup in question, while a team full of grizzled veterans in key positions had also beaten Waikato with their level of intensity.
The Waikato back-line, which possesses plenty of talent, needs to get their act together on attack and defence if they wish to avoid any further upsets.
New Waikato assistant coach Chris Gibbes has called for more intensity and accuracy from his team.
"What we've done is come back and tried to train at a different intensity," he said.
"The game's still about doing your basics well, about preparing well and making sure every stone is turned."
Gibbes said Waikato could still take confidence from knowing what they were trying to do was working, but they had to nail the little things with accuracy.
"In this team there's a lot of confidence. We've got a lot of youth but with that youth comes a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm and a real focus and hunger.
"What we need to do now as a group of people is mould that together so we're all going the same way but as far as commitment goes, the effort isn't lacking in these boys and come Friday I think you'll see the result of some pretty good training and a pretty focused performance."
Waikato is without last week's starting scrum-half, Malcolm Barnes, who has a knee strain, but David Bason has a little Super 14 experience and the change is not major.
Craig West returns to the front row after four months out with a pelvic injury and the only other changes are cosmetic ones on the bench. Tasman has rejigged the back-line but there were no major concerns with long-term injuries.
Prediction: A year ago Tasman had the chance to claim their first big scalp as they led Waikato for most of the game, only to lose 23-25 in the dying stages. This year Waikato became the first big team to fall, although they had company by the end of the round. So this could be very tight. Waikato to win by eight points.
The teams:
Waikato: 15 Dwayne Sweeney, 14 Sosene Anesi, 13 Jackson Willison, 12 Roimata Hansell-Pune, 11 Tim Mikkelson, 10 Callum Bruce, 9 David Bason, 8 Liam Messam (c), 7 Tom Harding, 6 Faifili Levave, 5 Kevin O'Neill, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Aled de Malmanche, 2 Oli Avei, 1 Craig West.
Replacements: 16 Hikairo Forbes, 17 Josh Hohneck, 18 Kent Fife, 19 Jordan Smiler, 20 Josh Sutherland, 21 Trent Renata, 22 James Kamana.
Tasman: 15 Robbie Malneek, 14 Blair Cook, 13 Andrew Goodman (c), 12 Joel Iggo, 11 Afeleki Pelenise, 10 Miah Nikora, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Mark Bright, 7 Jack Lam, 6 Jonathon Poff, 5 Alex Ainley, 4 Will Crutchley, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Daniel Perrin, 1 Ben May.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Tristan Moran, 18 Steve Jackson, 19 Glen Gregory, 20 Lualua Vailoaloa, 21 Mike Pehi, 22 Jams Marshall.
Venue: Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Kick-off: 19:35 (07:35 GMT)
Referee: Kelvin Deaker
TMO: Ben Skeen
Saturday, August 9
Otago v Canterbury
Perhaps the match of the weekend, Otago will be braced for a Canterbury backlash in this Air New Zealand Cup derby match at Carisbrook on Saturday.
Canterbury were dealt a shock 24-25 loss by Manawatu in Christchurch last week and, to add spice, the champion Crusaders were beaten by the Highlanders in the final round robin game of the Super 14.
The Cantabs will be looking to make amends for last week. It was a bit of an unexpected loss for them and no doubt they will be aiming to get their campaign back on track.
Otago, in contrast, squeezed out a dramatic 25-23 win over Southland after Chris Noakes kicked a long-range last-minute penalty.
Last year, Otago had a bit of a setback and were beaten 78-7 by Wellington in the first round.
The South Islanders will feel good to start on the other side of the ledger, to win a close one and give them the confidence that they can perform at this level.
Travelling to Dunedin is never easy for Canterbury teams. Yet despite the loss to Manawatu and the difficult history between the two unions in Dunedin, expect a much better performance from Canterbury this weekend.
While some might see the loss to Manawatu as not boding well for the rest of the season, there were plenty of signs that this Canterbury side is one to watch.
The team may not have been as accurate as it would have liked, yet it still put together some outstanding movements in the backs that resulted in points.
The results in the first round of the competition proved that there are no firm favourite this season. As a result, any side will fancy their chances regardless of who they are playing. Canterbury's loss is, therefore, not the end of the world at this stage of the compeition. It is merely a sign that there is work to be done by the squad.
Otago has as much to play for as Canterbury. They have so far this season slipped under the radar and this may work in their favour.
In Craig Newby they have a player and a captain who is one of the best in the competition. An old-fashioned loose forward, Newby commands respect from both his players and opponents alike and he will be a key individual in this match.
Yet there are other Otago players to watch. Lock Tom Donnelly should be a key individual in the line-out. Fellow lock Ross Kennedy (son of former Canterbury player and now Taranaki coach Adrian Kennedy) will be another looking to make his mark on the Otago scene in his first full season for the province.
South Island derbies are always closely-fought. With just one round gone in the competition, it is difficult to predict just what patterns these two teams will play.
Yet like all matches, this game will be won up front and in this area Canterbury will be looking for significant improvement.
Coach Rob Penney made just one injury-enforced change to the backline - Colin Slade starting at fly-half in place of Hamish Gard.
However, a reshuffle of the pack sees Isaac Ross and Michael Paterson come in at lock in place of James Broadhurst and Sam Whitelock respectively, with Broadhurst dropping to the bench and Whitelock out of the matchday 22.
Ti'i Paulo takes over at hooker from Steve Fualau, who will also be on the bench.
Also still sidelined with injury are Sean Maitland, Casey Laulala and Corey Flynn.
There is just one change to the Otago starting line-up from last week, Steven Setephano returning from a calf muscle injury to replace Paul Grant at number eight.
These two teams have a long history - 156 games since 1881. Otago trail their South Island rivals, with 63 Otago wins to 83 Canterbury victories. Canterbury also have the biggest victory margin - 43 in a 62-19 win in 2001.
Prediction: Otago could have lost last week but didn't and Canterbury could have won but didn't. Tough call this... a draw? Prediction rule books says no, so we'll go for a Canterbury win...just. Cantabs to win by five points.
The teams:
Otago: 15 Glen Horton, 14 Lucky Mulipola, 13 Brett Mather, 12 Aaron Bancroft, 11 Karne Hesketh, 10 Chris Noakes, 9 Toby Morland, 8 Steven Setephano, 7 Craig Newby (c), 6 Seko Qaraniqio, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Ross Kennedy, 3 Jed Vercoe, 2 Jason MacDonald, 1 Keith Cameron.
Replacements: 16 Peter Mirrielees, 17 Ben Nolan, 18 Paul Grant, 19 Hoani Matenga, 20 Sean Romans, 21 Daniel Bowden, 22 Ben Smith.
Canterbury: 15 Paul Williams, 14 Scott Hamilton, 13 Adam Whitelock, 12 Tim Bateman, 11 James Paterson, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Tyson Keats, 8 Mose Tuiali'i, 7 Hayden Hopgood, 6 Kieran Read (c), 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Michael Paterson, 3 Campbell Johnstone, 2 Ti'i Paulo, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Steve Fualau, 17 Owen Franks, 18 James Broadhurst, 19 George Whitelock, 20 Steve Alfeld, 21 Ryan Crotty, 22 Kosuke Endo.
Venue: Carisbrook, Dunedin
Kick-off: 14:35 (02:35 GMT)
Referee: Steve Walsh
TMO: Todd Pullar
Bay of Plenty v Counties Manukau
Playing at home in front of a vocal home crowd is the one, and prehaps only, advantage Bay of Plenty will take into this Air New Zealand Cup clash with Counties Manukau.
Both teams are dead even heading into Rotorua International Stadium.
A measure of the Steamers desire to win this season, was shown last Thursday, with a first-up 8-7 victory over Tasman.
What was supposed to be a leisurely journey to Blenheim turned into a marathon because of the South Island storms.
While the match was played on a waterlogged field, the Steamers showed plenty of fortitude. After the opposition went out to a seven point lead, the Steamers fought back to take the game by a solitary point.
The inside back combination, of skipper Jamie Nutbrown and fly-half Mike Delany, were a lethal combination who controlled much of the play in the second half. Another strength to emerge in the Steamers season opener was the go forward play of the tight five.
Counties Manukau, who provided the biggest surprise of the opening round when they upset Auckland, should provide a formidable test for the Steamers.
The Steelers celebrated its return to Pukekohe by giving Auckland all the trouble it could handle, especially at the breakdown and line-out.
In a superb effort, Counties Manukau - who were last in 2007 without a win - dropped last year's undefeated defending champions in one of the many Round One upsets.
This Saturdays match-up is the fiftieth game between the two sides since they first met in 1956. The Steamers trail by two - having won 23 matches with one encounter drawn. The visitors haven't beaten Bay of Plenty since 1998 with the last match (2006) producing a 38-11 win to the Steamers.
Prediction: It is likely to be a real arm-wrestle, with home ground advantage giving BoP the edge. The Steamers to win by three points.
The teams:
Bay of Plenty: 15 Zar Lawrence, 14 Lance MacDonald, 13 Cory Aporo, 12 Nigel Hunt, 11 Jason Hona, 10 Mike Delany, 9 Jamie Nutbrown, 8 Colin Bourke, 7 Tanerau Latimer (c), 6 Solomon King, 5 Culum Rettalick, 4 John Moore, 3 James McGougan, 2 John Paerenga, 1 Joe Savage. Replacements: 16 Dean Elmiger, 17 Arden David-Perrot, 18 Aiden Kuka, 19 Luke Braid, 20 Kelly Haimona, 21 Paula Asaeli, 22 Toby Arnold.
Counties Manukau: 15 Tim Nanai-Williams, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Niva Ta'auso, 12 Romi Ropati, 11 Siale Piutau, 10 Dean Cummins, 9 Kevin Farrell, 8 Fritz Lee, 7 Haani Halaeua, 6 DJ Forbes, 5 Andrew Van der Heijden, 4 Dave Duley (c), 3 Jayden Murch, 2 Lance Po-ching, 1 Simon Lemalu.
Replacements: 16 Cody Martin, 17 Robert Katu, 18 Jamie Chipman, 19 Gary Saifoloi, 20 Samisoni Fisilau, 21 Tanner Vili, 22 David Raikuna.
Venue: Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua
Kick-off: 14:35 (02:35 GMT)
Referee: Brent Murray
TMO: Bryce Lawrence
Hawke's Bay v Northland
Hawke's Bay have a huge amount of work to do if they want to win this match against the Taniwha.
Hawke's Bay were one of the disappointments of Round One and were a shadow of the side that made the semi-finals last year.
Northland were mighty impressive despite being under severe pressure almost throughout their upset win over Waikato.
Hawke's Bay have made one change, introducing Daniel Waenga at inside centre for Sam Giddens. Northland had no injury worries and have named an almost unchanged matchday 22, with Kaino Kaino replacing Brenton Helleur as reserve half-back. The starting line-up is the same one that did such a fine job a week ago.
The Magpies showed nothing of the spirit or quality that marked their 2007 campaign, they made way too many basic errors and gifted Wellington two tries through poor kicks that were charged down.
Hawke's Bay is a far better team than that, but need to improve in a hurry.
Northland, on the other hand, carried on their fine pre-season form and last week's upset win over Waikato was both well-deserved on the day and well-received around the country.
While the forwards battled to win much ball or territory, the aggression displayed by all men in blue in every area was enough to take a notable victory.
Prediction: Northland's enthusiasm was impressive against Waikato and the Taniwha has to ability to win this match through their experienced forwards. Northland to win by seven points.
Hawke's Bay: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Jason Kupa, 13 Jason Shoemark, 12 Daniel Waenga, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Matt Berquist, 9 Danny Lee (c), 8 George Naoupu, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Michael Johnson, 5 Bryn Evans, 4 Matt Egan, 3 Tom Simpson, 2 Hikawera Elliot, 1 Sona Taumalolo.
Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Josh Keys, 18 Johan Snyman, 19 Hugh Reed, 20 Chris Eaton, 21 Sam Giddens, 22 Mark Jackman.
Northland: 15 Jared Payne, 14 Rene Ranger, 13 Aiden Dewes, 12 Leo Taliu, 11 Fetu Vainikolo, 10 David Holwell, 9 James Rodley, 8 Blair Urlich, 7 John Cocker, 6 Justin Collins (c), 5 Marty Veale, 4 Daniel Goodwin, 3 Bronson Murray, 2 Francis Smith, 1 Tony Coughlan.
Replacements: 16 Tyler Ashworth, 17 Justin Davies, 18 Roy Griffin, 19 Joel McKenty, 20 Kaino Kaino, 21 Derek Carpenter, 22 Damian Fakafanua.
Venue: McLean Park, Napier
Kick-off: 19:35 (07:35 GMT)
Referee: Vinny Munro
TMO: Chris Pollock
Sunday, August 10
Auckland v Taranaki (Ranfurly Shield Challenge)
The stakes are significantly higher with the Ranfurly Shield on the line when Auckland come against a dangerous Taranaki side that is fresh off a smart win over North Harbour.
Add to that a proud Shield history and it will be a tough match.
If that's the entree, roll on the main.
The challenge is now looking decidedly appetising after Taranaki's 20-13 win over North Harbour in New Plymouth last week.
Taranaki's three-tries-to-one win over a North Harbour side has set up the side well for Sunday's Ranfurly Shield challenge.
Auckland's loss to Counties Manukau, who couldn't manage a win last season, was one of the two major boilovers of Round One.
Auckland were quickly brought back down to earth when the lack of experience of the young side was shown-up and exploited.
Coach Pat Lam said there was plenty of embarrassment in the Auckland camp over what happened at Pukekohe.
"We never fired a shot and we couldn't carry out our game plan," he said.
"All in all, everyone is pretty gutted with what happened."
Auckland and Taranaki will be without their All Blacks for the match.
The All Blacks leave for South Africa on Friday to prepare for their Tri-Nations match in Cape Town on Saturday, August 16.
Taranaki will be without hooker Andrew Hore, while Auckland will be missing Jerome Kaino, Keven Mealamu and John Afoa.
Auckland will, however, be able to call on former All Blacks Daniel Braid and Ben Atiga, along with a number of Super 14 players including Kurtis Haiu, Taniela Moa, David Smith and Nick White.
Meanwhile, Taranaki have done their homework on Auckland ahead of the challenge.
Among the crowd who watched Counties-Manukau upset Auckland 17-6 at Pukekohe last Sunday was Taranaki assistant coach Leo Crowley. The 'Naki faithful will be hoping he spotted a few weaknesses in the Auckland armour to exploit at Eden Park.
These two also go a long way back, to 1887 and have met 113 times - Auckland with 78 wins and Taranaki with 26 wins. Auckland have the biggest winning margin at 46 points - a 55-9 win in 1991.
Prediction: Taking on a wounded Auckland, in Auckland, on Sunday will be a tough challenge for any side. Auckland to win by 14 points.
The teams:
Auckland: 15 Jamie Helleur, 14 Jarek Goebel, 13 Winston Stanley, 12 Ben Atiga (c), 11 David Smith,10 Lachie Munro, 9 Taniela Moa, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Daniel Braid, 6 Kurtis Haiu, 5 Jay Williams, 4 Stanley Haukinima, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Paea Fa'anunu .
Replacements: 16 Pauliasi Manu, 17 Nick White, 18 Dean Budd, 19 Onosa'i Auva'a , 20 Brenton Helleur, 21 Ash Moeke, 22 Simon Munro / Mapa Tuipulotu.
Taranaki: 15 Asalemo Malo, 14 Paul Perez, 13 Nathan Hohaia, 12 Cory Niwa, 11 Shayne Austin, 10 Willie Ripia, 9 Brett Goodin, 8 Taiasina Tuifua, 7 Scott Waldrom, 6 Jason Eaton, 5 Craig Clarke, 4 Tom Ryder, 3 Hamish Mitchell, 2 Laurence Corlett, 1 Tony Penn (c).
Replacements: 16 James Annabell, 17 Shane Cleaver, 18 Nemia Soqeta, 19 Alex Tulou, 20 Brendon Haami, 21Jonathan Spratt, 22 Jack Cameron.
Referee: Lyndon Bray
Assistant referees: Garratt Williamson, Glenn Newman
TMO: Ben Skeen