Tasman’s men have arrived at a critical juncture of their NPC rugby season.
Tomorrow evening at Lansdowne Park, the Mako take on Auckland, a win crucial to their chances of remaining in the top eight with three rounds remaining before quarterfinal time.
After Auckland they tackle Bay of Plenty, in Nelson, then finish with a tricky trip to Hamilton to take on the Mooloo men.
All three of their final three rivals are in a similar position to the Mako, with not enough points yet in the bank to guarantee play-off footy and will be equally desperate.
Auckland have had a horror season by their standards, with just two wins from seven starts. However, they are always a team to be feared and are in a similar rebuilding phase to Tasman, who continue to provide excitement and promise on attack while leaking too many points.
The Mako have conceded, on average, a touch over 33 points per game, too many if they are to have a say in the final shakedown.
The Mako have been in contention for the bulk of most of their matches this season, apart from their mauling at the hands of Hawke’s Bay in round two, and are certainly very competitive in most areas.
However, the inability of the Mako pack to physically dominate their rival eight, both at set piece and breakdown, and for long periods of time must be a concern. The return of former All Blacks hard man Shannon Frizell after an untimely hamstring injury will help in this area, but there are improvements to be made, and it starts again on Friday evening.
The Tasman team for Friday night: 1-Tom Heywood , 2-Eli Odenryn, 3-Ryan Coxon, 4-Jake Frost, 5-Antonio Shalfoon, 6-Lopeti Faifua, 7-Johnny Lee©, 8-Shannon Frizell, 9-Mitchell Drummond, 10-Willie Havili, 11-Macca Springer, 12-David Havili, 13-Cooper Roberts, 14-Kyren Taumoefolau, 15-Maloni Kunawave. Reserves: 16-Richie Asiata, Monu Moli, 18-Kershawl Sykes-Martin, 19-Hunter Leppien, 20-Rory Scott, 21-Mason Lund, 22-Cooper Grant, 23-Nic Sauira.
