Mooloos Keen to Perform Away from Home
23rd September 2009 01:46PM
Waikato coach Chris Gibbes is keen to see his team perform well away from home this Friday night when the Mooloos take on Taranaki in New Plymouth in week nine of the Air New Zealand Cup.
"We are focusing again this week on lifting our performance and in particular how we perform away from home. It is a big match with the Ryan Wheeler Memorial Trophy again up for grabs. The trophy means a lot to us, as it does to Taranaki, so come Friday night it is going to be a good battle."
Gibbes has named the same Waikato forward pack that beat Wellington last week for Friday night's match at Yarrow Stadium.
Meanwhile, in the backs winger Tim Mikkelson gets a start ahead of Henry Speight and Save Tokula is bracketed with Roimata Hansell-Pune at number 13 with Gibbes awaiting the result of Tokula's judicial hearing later this afternoon.
Waikato is currently sitting in ninth place on the Air New Zealand Cup points table with 17 points, while Taranaki is in eighth place with 18 points.
"It is going to be a big match, a big challenge and we are focused on fronting up on Friday night."
Waikato takes on Taranaki in week nine of the Air New Zealand Cup at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth on Friday 25 September. Kick off is 7.35pm.
The Waikato team is:
1. Hikairo Forbes
2. Ole Avei
3. Latu Talakai
4. Romana Graham
5. Kevin O'Neill
6. Liam Messam (captain)
7. Jack Lam
8. Alex Bradley
9. Tawera Kerr-Barlow
10. Trent Renata
11. Dwayne Sweeney
12. Callum Bruce
13. Save Tokula/Roimata Hansell-Pune
14. Tim Mikkelson
15. Sosene Anesi
Reserves:
16. Vern Kamo
17. Lionel Wairau
18. Kent Fife
19. Jordan Smiler
20. David Bason
21. Jackson Willison
22. Henry Speight.
Footnotes:
1. A decision around the bracket of Save Tokula and Roimata Hansell-Pune at number 13 will be made following the outcome of Tokula's judicial hearing at the NZRU offices later today.
2. The Ryan Wheeler Memorial Trophy is played for whenever Waikato and Taranaki meet in a first-class match. Waikato currently holds the trophy after beating Taranaki 28-24 in a preseason fixture back in July. Ryan Wheeler died tragically in 2000. He played 55 games for Taranaki between 1993 and 1996 and 19 games for Waikato between 1998 and 1999.
3. Waikato will be playing in their alternate playing jersey for this fixture.
4. Taranaki was the first team played by Waikato back in 1921, with the result being a 15-15 draw in a match played in Hawera.
5. The following were not considered for selection due to injury: Nathan White (back), Ben May (knee), first five-eighth Sam Christie (shoulder), prop Kieran Ramage (shoulder), loose forward Sione Lauaki (foot) and loose forward Ray Allen (knee).
