Taranaki gets players back for storm week

Will Johnston

Photo: LDV Photography

Chiefs forward Mitch Brown and Blues wing Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens will return to the Taranaki Bulls on Wednesday night, but injuries continue to hit the team.

Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens has been missing from the side since Taranaki’s win against Canterbury at Pukekura Park in August after an ankle injury, while Brown injured his calf against Wellington a week later.

Both will return via the bench against Counties Manukau in the final home game of the season. The match is also the part of the re-introduced “storm week” structure where each team will play three matches in 10 days.

With Brown’s return, he has pushed last week’s debutant Jackson Morgan out of the playing 23. Nathaniel Peters retains his place.

Midfielder Josh Setu also returns from injury and immediately starts on the wing in place of Vereniki Tikoisolomone.

Lock Mickey Woolliams makes his first start of the year.

But the injury toll for coach Neil Barnes continues to grow. After a shoulder injury sustained in the Wellington match, first-five eighth Jayson Potroz has now been ruled out for the remainder of the year. Initially he was classed as a “week-by-week” injury.

Daniel Rona, Michael Loft and Jesse Parete are all sidelined with concussion. Barnes hopes the trio will be available for Sunday’s match against North Harbour.

Pita Gus Sowakula is out too but will hopefully be back for the final round robin match against Auckland at Eden Park.

Despite leaving the field at halfback in Taranaki’s 34-24 win against Manawatu at a gloomy Yarrow Stadium on Friday, Kaylum Boshier is back in the run-on XV. He forms a strong loose forward trio with Bradley Slater and Tom Florence.

Liam Blyde and Logan Crowley are bracketed at halfback, with the gritty utility back Adam Lennox also a question mark from the bench.

If Taranaki want any hope of making the play-offs, they will need to win their next three games and possibly rely on other matches to go their way. Counties Manukau has the same number of wins but are six points clear because of the extra two bonus points accumulated.

In the curtain raiser, Taranaki Maori play Taranaki Pasifika at 4:30pm.

Kick off for the Taranaki match is at 7:05pm.

Taranaki team to play Counties Manukau:

Matty McKenzie, Josh Setu, Meihana Grindlay, Teihorangi Walden (C), Kini Naholo, Daniel Waite, Logan Crowley/Liam Blyde, Kaylum Boshier, Tom Florence, Bradley Slater, Hemopo Cunningham, Mickey Woolliams, Kyle Stewart, Ricky Riccitelli, Jared Proffit. Reserves: Millennium Sanerivi, Mitch O’Neil, Crusaders Faletagoa’i, Mitch Brown, Nathaniel Peters, Liam Blyde/Adam Lennox, Josh Jacomb, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens.