Good start key in sprint format
It’s a sprint, so start well.
That’s been the message stressed by Taranaki rugby cocaptain Charlie Ngatai as they prepare to host Waikato in their opening Mitre 10 Cup match at Yarrow Stadium today.
Ngatai, who will co-captain the side with lock Leighton Price, has urged the side to lay down a marker to what they were trying to achieve and he believed they had the squad capable of firing early despite an abbreviated pre-season build-up.
‘‘I think we’ve got a good squad here that is a mixture of old and young,’’ he said. ‘‘It looks pretty good at this stage.’’
Having been afforded a light build-up to the campaign after being involved in the All Blacks camp, Ngatai made no secret of the fact that they would try and play a high tempo game, providing conditions were not the over-riding dictator.
‘‘We want to play exciting rugby,’’ he stressed. ‘‘We want to win first, obviously, but we’ve got a lot of size in our backline that we want to use.’’
While the backline has attracted a lot of attention in its potential leading up to the Waikato match, Ngatai said the Taranaki pack should not be underestimated.
Although they might not be over endowed with experience up front, the skipper also thought they were capable of playing the high energy game they want to unleash against Waikato.
Most of all, though, he just wanted to see the players put the maximum amount of effort they could muster.
‘‘We want all the boys to get around the field and really work. That’s the main focus for us at the start of the season is to get that really high work-rate.
‘‘If we do that I think we can open up some spaces. We just want to play, as well, because if we can get some of our backs into those spaces then they will score.
‘‘It’s important we start well because Coops [coach Colin Cooper] is always going on that it’s a sprint, not a marathon, so we know we’ve only got 12 weeks to play and it’s important we get as many points on the board as we can.’’
Taranaki will start the match as clear favourites against a largely inexperienced Waikato, although Cooper was mindful of the attitude they would bring south.
‘‘They’ll have nothing to lose and everything to gain,’’ he said. ‘‘They will have a lot of brimstone there and there is a lot of tradition there between the two provinces, so we just have to deal with that and hope the experience we have will get us through.’’
There will be plenty of points of interest in how some players go for Taranaki, including Stephen Perofeta at first five-eighth, while the debut efforts from the likes of Pita-Gus Sowakula, Donald Maka, Brad Tucker and Logan Crowley also hold appeal.