Waikato to take on Taranaki in the second round of ITM Cup - Rugby Preview
Waikato is taking on Taranaki in the second round of the ITM Cup in Hamilton, on July 21 after the provincial side won its previous match of the event against Southlanders, on July 15.
On the other hand, Taranaki lost its inaugurating match against Wellington in a lop sided match. Taranaki bit the dust against Wellington on July 16 with the lowest score of the event at 5-23. The squad looked off colour during their season opener and encouraged
the opponents to score with their poor defence. Their forward packs had performed even worse and managed to score just one try during the whole match, with the help of Jayden Hayward. Meanwhile, the Waikato’s are coming off a rousing victory, which will definitely
boost their confidence for their upcoming match.
The Taranaki team has been hit hard by injuries in the ongoing cup and the inexperienced side will be required to put forward a big effort to win this game. Kurt Baker is sure to miss the clash and Scott Ireland is also feared to join the growing injury
list because of a concussion.
Furthermore, a couple of Taranaki players will not be available after being included in the All Blacks test team to play against Fiji on July 22. Jarrad Hoeata and Andrew h**e have joined the All Blacks camp for their preparations of the fundraiser match.
The Taranaki coach, Colin Cooper, will need to include new players in his team to handle the injury crisis.
Meanwhile, the Waikato side is pumped up by the availability of top players and has the huge advantage of momentum over their rivals. They also have reasonable depth in their back and forward lines.
The Waikato coach, Chris Gibbes, is not under estimating the Taranaki side and has said that a close contest is expected in the match. Talking to the media on July 20 he said, “We are looking forward to the challenge that Taranaki will bring. They are a
physical side and the games between the two teams are always a fierce battle. They will be keen to get a result up here as they did last year, so it all bodes well for an intense, physical game and the boys are looking forward to our first home game of the
season.”
The Waikato’s are way ahead of the Taranaki side for this match and are the clear favourites. They will look forward to the Stephen Donald to play a vital role in the match, similar to his performance against the Southlanders. He displayed a one man show
in the match and scored all 19 points for his team. Sitiveni Sivivatu, Save Tokula and Jackson Willison are other key players of Waikato.
On the other hand Taranaki will depend on Jayden Hayward, Tyson Keats, and Craig Clarke for better performance.
Both sides will enter the field with following players:
Waikato: 15 Trent Renata, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Save Tokula, 12 Jackson Willison, 11 Declan O'Donnell, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Rory Grice, 7 Marty Holah, 6 Matt Vant Leven, 5 Romana Graham, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Nathan White,
2 Aled de Malmanche, 1 Toby Smith.
Replacements: 16 Marcel Cummings-Toone/Ted Tauroa, 17 Ben May, 18 Jack Lam, 19 Chris Middleton, 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Sam Christie, 22 Tim Mikkelson, 23 Latu Talakai.
Taranaki: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Isaia Tuifua, 12 Jayden Hayward, 11 Jackson Ormond, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Tyson Keats, 8 Samuela Vunisa, 7 Scott Waldrom, 6 Ben Souness, 5 Craig Clarke (c), 4 Jason Eaton, 3 Michael Bent,
2 Laurence Corlett, 1 Carl Carmichael.
Replacements: 16 Timo Tutavaha, 17 Shane Cleaver, 18 Blade Thomson, 19 Chris Walker, 20 Brett Goodin, 21 Jack Cameron, 22 Willie Rickards, 23 Willie Ioane.
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