No 8 wire used on gap in centre

David Ogilvie | 19th July 2010

 You have to provide something just a bit different for a Ranfurly Shield rugby challenge - and Wanganui's rugby coach Guy Lennox has done just that.

Deprived by injuries and unavailabilities of his top midfield/fullback, Lennox has come up with a double heavy hit in midfield by bringing big 2008 rep Pehira Huwyler back at second-five and partnering him with usual No8 Lasa Ulukuta (centre).

Between them the big guys manage something like 220-230kg, and in Ulukuta's case he has the pace to match.

Lennox makes no secret of the fact that he wants to play an advantage line game, and if his forwards can gain reasonable ball, that's where he hopes Ulukuta's power will come to advantage.

But it's a very big call to thrust a man who has played an occasional West Coast club game in the position into a shield match against a S14 union, and expect him and his new partner to get their defensive lines right - let alone their attack.

But to some extent, Lennox has been forced into something like this through the hamstring injury (possibly end-of-season stuff) for first-choice fullback Fraser Middleton, and the unavailabilities of last season's entire midfield - Leon Mason (Australia), Steelie Koro (family commitments) and Aseali Tikoirotuma (Manawatu).

His first aim was to move Ace Malo to centre, but Middleton's injury stymied that.

"I would have liked Ulukuta at No8, it's only a one-off situation, so don't read anything into it for later in the season," Lennox said.

"Circumstances dictated it.

"The type of game we need to play against them needs us to be getting over the advantage line.

"From what I've seen they're bloody accurate when they get a sniff at getting you behind the advantage line. It's a whole lot different game from what we usually play, but that's what we're going with."

Other points of interest:

Halfback Matthew Koubaridis appears to have surprised with the speed of his recovery from his shoulder injury and is bracketed with Ricky Alabaster.

Possibly against the wishes of Lennox, Koubaridis in fact played around 35 minutes for Pirates on Saturday.

Cameron Crowley trained well enough and will start, but wing mate John Mow did get a small knee problem in his match - he will have to train tomorrow night.

And Shaun McDonough wins the tighthead prop position after a strong effort in the second Manawatu match.

Darren Munro gets the No8 spot and is backed-up in the reserves by either fraser Hammond (if fit enough - and he copped another shoulder blow late in Saturday's game), or last year's captain David Gower, called in as experienced cover.

Lennox says moving Ulukuta back into No8 during the match would necessitate two major changes, not one.