Kieran Read back on deck for Steelers side desperate for first win of campaign
Coach Tai Lavea has made a host of changes to the Counties Manukau Steelers ahead of their week three Mitre 10 Cup clash with Northland at Navigation Homes Stadium in Pukekohe on Sunday.
Two-time World Cup winner and 128-test All Black Kieran Read returns at number eight for the province’s second home game of the season – once again played under crowd restrictions due to COVID-19 settings in Auckland.
His return offsets the loss of All Blacks Nepo Laulala and Dalton Papalii, who have assembled with the national squad ahead of the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship.
Highlanders prop Conan O’Donnell gets his first start of the season as he replaces Laulala up front while Ardmore Marist’s Alamanda Motuga will make his Steelers debut at openside flanker.
Latiume Fosita makes his first start of the season at second-five with skipper Orbyn Leger pushing out to centre.
Pukekohe winger Sione Fifita will run out on the left wing, forming a lethal back three alongside Kirisi Kuridrani and Etene Nanai-Seturo.
Joseph Casey and Leigh Hughes have been named on the bench in what will be the pair’s first Steelers games of the year while Onewhero halfback Cameron Roigard is also handed a bench spot.
The match kicks-off at 4.35pm while the unbeaten Counties Power Heat face Northland from 2.05pm.
Steelers: Etene Nanai-Seturo, Kirisi Kuridrani, Orbyn Leger (c), Latiume Fosita, Sione Fifita, Baden Kerr, Jonathan Taumateine, Kieran Read, Alamanda Motuga, Sam Slade, Matiaha Martin, Potu Leavasa, Conan O'Donnell, Zuriel Togiatama, Ezekiel Lindenmuth. Reserves: Joseph Casey, Leigh Hughes, Suetena Asomua, Mickey Wolliams, Jonathan Kawau, Cameron Roigard, Luteru Laulala, Jason Robertson.
- Counties Manukau Rugby
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Skelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
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