Rookie Otago loosehead prop Rohan Wingham is embracing every opportunity which comes his way.
The 20-year-old started in Otago’s first two games this season and has been named in the starting side for its crucial match against Hawke’s Bay in Napier tomorrow.
That is a big challenge right there. Hawke’s Bay love a good set piece and they are unbeaten in three games this season.
They can maul the leather off the ball and Wingham’s skills are sure to come under enormous pressure.
"They are really forward dominant, so hopefully we can go out and do what we’ve prepared for during training," he said.
"There will be plenty of mauls, plenty of scrums and we’ll be getting stuck in."
Sounds like heaven for a prop.
Wingham honed his skills for King’s High School first XV and made the New Zealand schools team in 2020.
Last year he played in the Heartland Championship for North Otago. But this year he has made the step up to NPC and in a position a little new to him.
He has mostly packed down on the tighthead side, but Otago assistant coach Jamie Mackintosh likes what he has seen from the young man at loosehead so far.
"He is going really well," Mackintosh said.
"The challenge for him is the loosehead-tighthead thing and the opportunity to play on the loosehead side of the scrum for us early in the season.
"He has grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He is a really strong kid and he’s got heaps of areas where he can improve. The ceiling is really high.
"I’ve noticed a massive shift in his collision-based stuff, around his tackling and his clean-outs.
"That is all going good. For him it is just getting the runs on the board and understanding the speed of game, and getting himself in situations where he can be dominant."
Whether Wingham, who is a teacher aide at Carisbrook School, stays on the loosehead side or reverts to the more familiar tighthead side remains to be seen. But for now, Otago is happy with his progress.
He is happy too.
"I just want to keep chasing the improvement. I’m always trying to get better at each thing and just go as far as I can, really."
Otago has made several changes for its match with Hawke’s Bay.
The most notable change is in the loose forward trio. Highlanders recruit Tom Sanders has been named to start on the blindside.
He will be making his Otago debut and has been brought in to help shore up the breakdown.
Otago has leaked a few too many turnovers in that area, Mackintosh said.
"Our breakdown has been costing us opportunities on attack. We had 14 turnovers against Tasman and 14 turnovers against Wellington. We have to be far more efficient in our carry and clean to produce ball where we can actually create things from."
Halfback James Arscott is out with an injured hand, which means Kieran McClea will start and Nathan Hastie will make his debut from the bench.
Cameron Millar moves from the bench to the starting role at first-five, which means Sam Gilbert drops back to his regular spot at fullback.
Jack Leslie has been given the nod at second five, and University winger Jeremiah Asi has been named on the bench and is on debut. He was the leading try scorer in club rugby this season with 12 five-pointers.
NPC
Napier, tomorrow, 2.05pm
Otago: Sam Gilbert, Josh Whaanga, Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Jack Leslie, Jona Nareki, Cameron Millar, Kieran McClea, Christian Lio-Willie, Sean Withy (co-captain), Tom Sanders, Will Tucker, Josh Dickson, Saula Ma’u, Henry Bell, Rohan Wingham. Reserves: Ricky Jackson, Benjamin Lopas, Jermaine Ainsley, Fabian Holland, Sam Fischli, Nathan Hastie, Jaremiah Asi, Finn Hurley.
