Turbos play the waiting game
The Manawatu Turbos will leave it until today’s captain’s run to see if Kurt Baker can suit up for their opening match against Wellington in Palmerston North tomorrow.
The former Highlanders and New Zealand sevens star is still awaiting international clearance from World Rugby to move on from his deal with Italian side Zebre.
But as yesterday, that clearance was yet to come through.
Regardless, the 28-year-old spent much of yesterday’s training session running at fullback with the reshuffled backline seeing Nehe Milner-skudder shift to the wing and Kenyan flyer Willy Ambaka to the bench.
Milner-skudder is sure to be a dangerman where ever he plays.
While he has not played for the Turbos since 2014 due to All Blacks commitments and injuries, he did train with the team for much of last season.
There was a heart-in-mouth moment at training yesterday when Milner-skudder went down clutching his arm after a collision with Ambaka.
But he was soon back on the field.
Centre Lewis Marshall sat out part of Friday’s training with a leg injury with Newton Tudreu taking his place. But the coaches were confident he would be ready for tomorrow’s match.
Marshall is partnering Curtis Reid, who spent much of last season on the wing, in the midfield.
Cotter was confident the pair would shine in the absence of Hamish Northcott (concussion) and Jason Emery (knee).
‘‘I think they have done bloody well in the preseason and earned their places there. It was probably a bit different to what you what have thought [before the season started], but they have gone from strength to strength.’’
Cotter’s catchcry for the match was for accuracy and tempo.
‘‘We need to be accurate at set piece, we need to have clarity in what we are doing. We do not want to get sucked into a slow game. We need to keep things moving. We don’t want to be predictable,’’ he said.
The match is a chance for the Turbos to set the tone for the season with a rare home opener the last time the Turbos’ first match of the season was at home was in 2012.
Wellington won that fixture 30-11, the last time the men from the capital won in Palmerston North.
Manawatu have a good record against Wellington, having won four of their last six encounters.
The Turbos also claimed a preseason match between the sides 28-14 earlier this year.
But Cotter was prepared for a big bounceback from the Lions.
‘‘I think they will be fairly confrontational.
‘‘They will want to knock us down up front. But they have got some players come back in who have been in reasonable form so I assume they will want to try and shift it as well.’’
Wellington have named a typically strong starting side, including Julian Savea on the right wing.
Jackson Garden-bachop has returned from the Melbourne Rebels to take the No 10 jersey, while We Goosen will be hoping to transfer his Super Rugby form to provincial rugby at centre.
Wellington can claim one of the most mobile front rows in New Zealand with a pair of New Zealand under-20s stars in Alex Fidow and Asafo Aumua.