Horowhenua Kapiti aim to repeat dose
Horowhenua Kapiti will be hoping to bowl past Buller for the second week in a row, this time in the Heartland Championship semifinal in Levin today.
Horowhenua Kapiti beat Buller 30-26 in the final match of the regular season at Westport last weekend and will want to knock off last year’s beaten finalists so the boys from the Nua can progress to their first Meads Cup final.
The last time Horowhenua Kapiti were in a final was 2008 when they were beaten by Poverty Bay in the Lochore Cup final.
Horowhenua Kapiti, who finished the regular season second, made one change from last weekend’s team.
Kalim Kelemete slots into second five-eighth, pushing Luke Mcmahon back to the bench, and Shannon loose forward Ethan Wade drops out of the 22.
Horowhenua Kapiti coach Chris Wilton was excited about a home Meads Cup semifinal.
‘‘We had a really good training on Tuesday where the boys worked hard and were very focused on the task at hand.’’
Wilton also knows that the semifinal will be a lot different to last weekend’s win in Westport.
‘‘A semifinal is a one-off game and we’re well aware that we need to produce our best performance on Saturday. The win last week has continued our momentum but the win won’t count for much when kickoff arrives.
‘‘Saturday is a much different challenge to last week and we’re looking forward to it.’’
Horowhenua Kapiti assistant coach Katsu Takeuchi spoke about the changes to the team.
‘‘James [So’oialo] has done a
fantastic job for us at 10 last weekend and wherever he is on the field we know he is an exceptional player,’’ Takeuchi said. ‘‘Kalim is similar where he can play 10, 12 or 15, so we’re very blessed that he can slot straight in to second fiveeighth with little disruption.’’
So’oialo, a former Samoa international, has been a key player for Horowhenua Kapiti this season, with his goalkicking and playmaking being very influential.
In the other semifinal, South Canterbury will host defending champions Wanganui at Timaru, where South Canterbury beat Wanganui 21-17 earlier this season.
In the Lochore Cup semifinals, Mid Canterbury play Poverty Bay at Ashburton and West Coast play North Otago at Greymouth.