Great opportunity for some rookie players
Taranaki rugby coach Colin Cooper has made it clear to a number of rookie players ahead of their first pre-season match of the season that they have a clear opportunity to push for a place in the final squad.
Just a fortnight out from the start of the Mitre 10 Cup, Taranaki meet Bay of Plenty in Te Awamutu on Saturday before they play Counties Manukau and the All Blacks in Pukekohe the following Friday.
That is a limited time for some to stake their claim in Cooper’s final squad but the man in charge said he had stressed to those hoping to fill the lock and loose forward spots that they needed to show him they were up to the job.
Taranaki has already been hit hard by injuries to loose forwards with Mitchell Brown this week joining last season’s captain Mitchell Crosswell with season- ending injuries on top of the squad already losing Berny Hall and Blade Thomson.
Their misfortune has been to the benefit of the likes of Adrian Wyrill and Pita-Gus Sowakula who have been handed starts against the Steamers.
Cooper said it was just reward for Wyrill who performed really well at club level while he was also impressed by the fact the Tukapa flanker has repeatedly spurned offers from other provinces to stay in Taranaki.
Wyrill, who has made just five appearances for Taranaki since his debut against Canterbury in the 2012 ITM Cup semifinal, now appears certain to be given a con- tract. ‘‘Adrian is playing outstanding well,’’ Cooper said.
‘‘But it’s a big game for Adrian, I have to see how he connects [with the other loose forwards], how he defends physically, I’ll be looking hard to him for the next two games.’’
Sowakula has hinted for a while he would make the step up pretty seamlessly and he’s the sort of physical player that would work well off the back of decent tight five.
Just who partners Leighton Price long-term in the the second row of that tight five remains unclear with Leon Power, new recruit Brad Tucker and Fin Hoeata all options.
Cooper said Tucker and Hoeata were also options to play at No 6 in
the Mitre 10 Cup along with Chiefs flanker Lachlan Boshier.
"We think they are all exciting choices because each one will bring something different. I know they don’t have the experience but they will definitely offer something.’’
He was relaxed about the overall inexperience of any loose forward combination because he believed the front row would work exceptionally well with the likes of Mitchell Graham, Jared Proffit, Ricky Ricitelli, Sione Lea and Mike Kainga all expected to be fit for the campaign.
Graham, who broke his leg in February, was back training with the squad and could even play a part in Taranaki’s first game against Waikato while Ricitelli should be available next week once his annual leave ends.
As for the way Cooper wants to play against Bay of Plenty, he said their main focus was some new defence innovations they had come up with.
‘‘It’s really about who can adapt to how we want to play.’’