Varsity’s casualty list hits extreme heights
RUGBY: At the start of the Manawatu¯ club season on March 17, Varsity had to find a way to fit their multitude of players into starting jerseys.
Six weeks later, they will be potentially 11 men down when they shape up to unbeaten competition leaders Feilding Yellows at Massey University tomorrow.
A week ago, coach Scott Lewis had nine absentees and Varsity tumbled 32-15 to the resurgent Te Kawau at Rongotea.
‘‘I don’t think I’ve ever had this many on my casualty list before,’’ Lewis said. ‘‘But it is giving young guys a chance. I’ve been flat out chasing people to see whether they are available this week.’’
Not that Lewis is panicking. Varsity have had only one loss against four wins, so have a stockpile of points for these times of drought and, anyway, everything will hinge on the second-round surge to the top four.
The prime loss for Varsity is flanker Nathan Tweedy, who is gone for the season. He is off to Hawke’s Bay to pursue a Magpies slot, obviously figuring the Manawatu¯ route was impassable.
When Tweedy arrived out of St Peter’s College, Cambridge, he had originally linked with Varsity, before hitching up with Feilding Old Boys-o¯ roua and then returning to Varsity this year. He was a Hurricanes under-20 player in 2016.
On Monday, three Varsity players flew out with the NZ Universities team to Japan – Hamish Northcott, hooker Nick Grogan and Te Rangatira Waitokia. They will be gone for at least two weeks. Grogan was to be unavailable, but end-of-season circumstances changed, so he took Japan.
Tryscoring wing Reece Brosnan is on NZ Universities standby, No 8 Kirk Tufuga opted not to be for family-work reasons, while exciting lock Mickey Woolliams, but for his shoulder injury, might have been off to Japan.
Scott Davidson and flanker James Oliver, who is also a NZ Universities selector, have been overseas.
Had the Hurricanes not been playing the Sunwolves tonight, All Black Nehe Milner-skudder would probably have played for Varsity.
Varsity clash with the two Feilding-based teams in consecutive weeks. Next week, Varsity lose Kirk and Max Tufuga to Wairarapa-bush, who play Horowhenua-ka¯ piti in Wellington.
Feilding escaped the derby ambush by the Stags in the gales last week and won’t want to forfeit the Challenge Cup to a bare-bones Varsity unit. Yellows’ big scrum and the boot of Ben Wyness will be the keys, although in-form prop Sean Rankin was to haved played for the Hurricanes Development XV in Levin last night.
The same applies to Te Kawau’s Liam Mitchell, who may or not play against Linton Army in forecast rainy conditions at the army camp.
Former Real Blokes’ coach Bryan Matenga was at pains this week to point out Te Kawau are not coachless, during the week at least. Matenga takes them on Mondays and Wednesdays, while also the assistant coach at Wellington’s Axemen.
In Linton’s last outing, the Lions blazed past Old Boys-marist 34-17, which must have done wonders for the soldiers’ morale.
Surprisingly, Old Boys-marist got only their second win of the season last week, 14-12 over College Old Boys. Kia Toa have talent in depth, especially in their speedy backline, and will be favourites at Bill Brown Park in their first re-match since last year’s Hankins Shield final thriller, won 28-27 by OBM.
FOB-O¯ roua, almost as injury-hit as Varsity, showed their back-up men can play in the derby clash and will look to kick-start their ascent up the table against Freyberg at Johnston Park, Feilding. Freyberg though usually claim a scalp or two each season when least expected, as they did against the Stags 32-24 in 2016.
Students could be 11 men down.