McGougan back for action at Rugby Park - Steamers aiming for three in a row
Friday, 23 July 2010
THE Bay of Plenty Steamers can make it a hat-trick of victories at Whakatane’s Rugby Park today when they take on Taranaki.
After beating Manawatu in 2007, the Steamers also took down Counties at Rugby Park last year. Today they will play their final pre-season game before the ITM Cup begins at the end of the month.
They have been in good form with wins over Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay and today’s lineup has plenty on offer for Eastern Bay rugby fans.
Whakatane’s James McGougan is itching to get back on the paddock and is on the bench today. The front rower has had a significant lay off due to a back injury and is relishing the chance to run out in front of his home crowd.
Also included are 2009 All Blacks Tanerau Latimer and Lelia Masaga. Latimer will captain the Steamers as part of an impressive loose forward trio that includes 2008 IRB junior player of the year Luke Braid and sevens star Solomon King. Chiefs number 8 Colin Bourke will come off the bench. High-flier Masaga will be on the bench with Colin Bourke and recently signed halfback Taniela Moa from Auckland.
Steamers head coach Sean Horan said the team enjoyed playing in Whakatane.
“Playing here is becoming an annual fixture and we are excited to play in the Eastern Bay. We don’t have a lot of opportunities to play here and the boys are really looking forward to it,” he said.
The plan for the Steamers is to build on an unbeaten pre-season, but Horan is not reading into the results too much.
“We are pretty content with how it has gone so far. We believe we are on track with what we have achieved, but you don’t gain points from pre-season games.
“We are working on where we want to go in preparation for what will be a hard campaign.
“New rule interpretations are about continuity and that is something we are striving for We want to play good rugby and keep the ball in hand.
“The pre-season for us is also about giving our entire squad a chance to fit into different combinations. Whether it be coming off the bench or getting a start – it is a good chance for us to see how the players deal with it,” he said.
Horan said he is also looking forward to seeing McGougan back in action.
“It will be great to get James out there, he is a massive part of the team. He has had a tough time, but he is buzzing at the moment and he has done a lot of hard work and today is another step in his recovery process,” he said.
Taranaki boast some quality players in today’s lineup which includes Chief and Junior All Black Craig Clarke, Blues back George Pisi, Hurricanes flier David Smith and New Zealand Maori first-five Willie Ripia. The team is coached by Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper. Gates open at 2pm today with kickoff at 3pm.
Bay of Plenty Steamers: 1 Joe Savage, 2 John Pareanga, 3 Josh Hohneck, 4 Luke Andrews, 5 Culum Retallick, 6 Luke Braid, 7 Tanerau Latimer (captain), 8 Solomon King, 9 Chad Tuoro, 10 Dan Waenga, 11 Jason Hona, 12 Grant McQuoid, 13 Ben Smith, 14 Lance MacDonald and 15 Toby Arnold.
Reserves: Simon Chisholm, James McGougan, Aiden Kuka, Colin Bourke, Taniela Moa, Cory Aporo, Lelia Masaga, Sam Cane.