North Otago and Thames Valley were the only Heartland teams
to claim a winning-bonus point in the first round played last
Saturday and North Otago will need to repeat that dose this
afternoon against Buller at Whitestone Stadium if it is to
keep its hopes of making the Meads Cup playoffs alive.
How the team reacts after its 116-3 win over East Coast will
be the first question to be answered against a Buller team
which had a first-round loss to Wairarapa-Bush, 23-16.
Buller will be a tough opponent.
The side plays a well-structured game and its defensive
screen will be much stronger than that of East Coast so that
alone will ensure that North Otago will not be able to
reproduce the free and easy style of the previous week.
Besides Buller's shortage of pre-season rugby, co-coaches
Craig Scanlon and Craig Neill have only five players back
from the 2009 season in the team this afternoon.
Up front, loose forward Luke Brownlee, who has played 115
games for Buller, will play his 97th first class game against
North Otago this afternoon.
Three players will have their first run on starts for North
Otago.
Right winger Kasanova Soane will start while in the forwards
Eric Duff will lock with Dave Simpson and Will Henry will
take the loosehead position.
Missing from the side is winger Greg Zampach, who is out with
a groin strain.
Missing from the bench is three-quarter Ekeroma Sefo, who
earlier this week informed the coaches that he was away to
Australia for three weeks.
In other Pool B games, Poverty Bay should pick up maximum
points in Gisborne against East Coast while Mid Canterbury,
after losing to Poverty Bay on opening day, will meet
Wairarapa-Bush in Masterton.
In Pool A, South Canterbury, which got a losing-bonus point
against Wanganui last week, meets Thames Valley in Timaru,
with the visiting side having kicked off its 2010 season with
a convincing 36-18 win over West Coast.
Wanganui meets Horowhenua-Kapiti in Levin, while West Coast
hosts King Country in Greymouth.
- Terry O'Neill
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