Southland Stags halfback to miss competition opener
The Stags used over 40 players last season and this year have named a larger-than-normal squad of 38 players.
A couple of Southland Stags squad members at this point are set to miss the Southland Stags round one NPC opener against Waikato on August 6 because of injury.
The Stags squad assembled this week for its build-up to the 2023 campaign with just hooker Jack Taylor missing who is on national duties with the New Zealand Under-20 team in South Africa.
Rugby Southland director of rugby Matt Saunders confirmed halfback Jahvis Wallace and lock Mike McKee won’t be available for the round one game because of injury.
Wallace broke his hand playing for the Eastern-Northern Barbarians in the Galbraith Shield final.
As a result, Japanese halfback Kaisei Tamura has stayed on a bit longer in Southland to train with the Stags squad and provide a bit of cover.
Tamura is one of three Toyota Verblitz players who were part of the Pirates-Old Boys Galbraith Shield victory over the Eastern-Northern Barbarians on Saturday.
All three have stayed on to train with the Stags for the moment as a bit of a “work experience” exercise, while at the same time adding depth to the Stags squad if required.
The other Japanese players in the Stags squad are Rintaro Maruyama (first five-eighth/fullback) and Shunsuke Asaoka (prop).
The Stags used over 40 players last season and this year have named a larger-than-normal squad of 38 players.
Although that includes prop Ethan de Groot who isn’t expected to play any part because of his All Black commitments.
Saunders said lock was probably the most challenging area to fill when they put the Stags’ 2023 squad together.
The options at lock were limited within the club system, although there was a feeling from some that Eastern-Northern Barbarians lock Woody Kirkwood might have been worth a shot.
Kirkwood will instead line up for the Southland Development team as he awaits his opportunity.
The Stags opted to bring in Danny Drake and Shneil Singh, who both have professional rugby experience, to fill the locking spots alongside Josh Bekhuis and McKee.
Outside back was another position where the Stags went outside the province to provide a bit of depth in the squad.
They picked up Gabriel Hamer-Webb from England and Noah Foster from Auckland who played two games for Tasman last season.
“Mike [Manson] and Vili [Fine], you would call the incumbents [wingers], and they’ll have to get things right because we’ve got two pretty quality guys behind them, and Noah covers midfield as well.
“There is a bit of depth all round,” Saunders said.
Former New Zealand Secondary Schools hooker Ben Strang is another from outside the province introduced to the Stags setup this year.
He’ll join Taylor and fellow former Southland Boys’ High School first XV hooker Jacob Payne.
Kaya Symon was arguably the best hooker in club rugby this season, although he opted out of Rugby Southland’s high-performance group.
Probably the most important off-season signing was No 8 Dylan Nel who has plenty of experience, including at Super level.
Another is former Bay of Plenty first five-eighth Dan Hollinshead who can also cover other positions in the backline.
With doubts over what role Marty Banks will play as he recovers from a groin injury Hollinshead introduction could be key.
It could well be that Greg Dyer gets a deserved shot in the No 10 jersey and Hollinshead is used at fullback.
The Stags will take part in a “game of three halves” fixture in Te Anau on July 22 followed by a preseason hit out against Otago the following week.
really enjoying these rugby rightups
Should’ve given James Moodie a crack at Hooker from the development squad