Round 1 side set for clash with Northland

Promising young lock Tahlor Cahill is set to earn his first Canterbury NPC cap against Northland in Saturday’s Bunnings Warehouse NPC clash in Whangārei.

Marist Albion’s towering 20-year-old will pack down with the rejuvenated Luke Romano (Hurunui) in the second row. “Tahlor’s a young man on the rise,” said Head Coach Marty Bourke. ‘And for him to line up alongside one of the best lineout exponents in the game in Romano is a pretty special thing for Tahlor’s development and for Canterbury.”    

The front row is also a solid mix of experience and enthusiasm with Hooker George Bell (Lincoln University) sandwiched between Daniel Lienert-Brown (HSOB) and Seb Calder (Lincoln University).

New Brighton’s Billy Harmon will again captain Canterbury from number 8, partnering dynamic loosies Dominic Gardiner (Marist Albion) and Corey Kellow (Lincoln University). “For a lot of these young guys, they’ve had a great taste of NPC rugby and know what’s expected of them. They’re hungry to perform and get the season off to a solid start,” said Bourke.

Experience threads throughout the Canterbury backline too with Linwood’s Willi Heinz linking up with Fergus Burke at 9 and 10, while New Brighton’s Ryan Crotty partners Rameka Poihipi (Lincoln University) in the midfield. Marist Albion’s Manasa Mataele, Prebbleton’s Ngatungane Punivai and Belfast’s Chay Fihaki round out the back three.

“It’s exciting to see this group link up against for another NPC campaign and reform their partnerships. Ngane and Ram’s (Rameka) have been in our group for a few seasons now, so it’s their turn to take on those leadership roles and drive our team forward,” said Burke.

Hurunui’s Ben Funnell returns to the red and black of Canterbury for the first time since the 2017 Final, while UC’s Tom Heywood will get the chance to add to his single NPC cap along with New Brighton’s Carisbrook Toomalatai, who is set for his Canterbury debut off the bench. Springston’s Mitchell Dunshea will make his long-awaited return to Canterbury and is set to earn his 50th Cap, while Joe Brial (Lincoln University) gets his second opportunity to back up the loose forwards.

Mitchell Drummond (HSOB), Alex Harford (HSOB) and speedster Blair Murray (University) will finish the contest across the backline.

“It’s important for us to get our campaign off to a strong start, so it’ll be up to these guys to do that for us. We’re expecting Northland to be fizzed to get their season off to a flyer too, so we need to be ready for that” Bourke added.