Linton’s future in senior A in doubt
The fate of the Linton Army senior A rugby team will be decided after their final pre-season match today with withdrawal from the Manawatu club season a possibility.
The club has been hit hard by a mixture of players being deployed overseas, players retiring and a handful turning their backs on the army club for other teams. But their biggest issue is front-row forwards.
Co-coach Ross Rainham, who is leading the team with Dwayne Eriksson while head coach Ben James is stationed overseas, said they were confident in their ability to cover every other position, but front row depth was a serious concern.
‘‘We are going to play Upper Hutt this weekend and I will talk to Dwayne then and that will be the decision if A, we can front a team and B, if we have got enough front rowers,’’ he said.
Four of the club’s top props are unavailable this year, including former Turbo Hakarangi Tichborne.
That means they have just Nick Fakahau as an experienced senior A prop.
‘‘We are working hard on the Bs and a couple of colts guys but we really don’t know if they are up to scratch yet. We will play the game this weekend and see where we are at,’’ Rainham said.
Three props will take part in the Upper Hutt match including Fakahau, Hunter Anderson, who is making the jump from Bs, and a colts hooker who is trialling a transition to prop.
Rainham said they needed to be convinced they had enough depth at the position to survive the season. He said they have spread the net far and wide to bring new props into the club, but had no luck.
Prop is not the only position they have been hit hard by losses since last year.
The team had high turnover within the 2016 season with injuries and army commitments wreaking havoc on their playing stocks. But this year things have been bad from the preseason.
‘‘We have got seven guys back this year from last year’s side and we used 59 players last year,’’ Rainham said.
Included in the group no longer there are a handful of soldiers who have opted to play for other clubs.
‘‘Apparently within the army system there is an order to get those guys back, but that has not been actioned yet so we don’t know if they will get pulled back, but that is only two or three,’’ Rainham said.
Rainham was confident that if all their top players were available, they would be able to field a competitive team.
He said if they were to pull out of the senior A season this year, the aim would be to return to the top level of Manawatu club rugby in 2018.
If Linton opts against fielding a senior A team, top players would likely be released to play for other clubs.