Counties-Maukau preview [Nelson Mail]
There's an understated quality to Liam Squire that belies his obvious ability on the rugby field.
It's a common trait in many quality players who, like the Tasman Makos' classy flanker, prefer to do their talking on the field. So when Squire quietly acknowledges that his form's "not too bad" at the moment, you can take it as read that he's in reasonably good nick.
His was a conspicuous presence in Tasman's second-round ITM Cup loss to Canterbury in Blenheim last Saturday with two spectacular first-half breaks pointing to some of the attacking skills he brings to this year's team.
Mostly though, he's just happy to be in the mix after recovering from the broken ankle that saw him miss all of last season's national provincial championship campaign. In fact, the ankle couldn't be further from his mind.
"I don't even think about it," said Squire. "I don't even need to get it strapped for trainings now so it's fine, it's good to go."
As to his form, the 1.96m-tall and 113kg loosie is satisfied with his progress.
"It's not too bad, I'm pretty happy with the way things are going now but it's still early in the season so hopefully I can pick it up a bit.
"I think one or two more games to get my actual game fitness back up . . . you can't really train for match fitness."
The next phase in that process is tomorrow's clash with newly promoted premiership team Counties-Manukau in Pukekohe. The Canterbury loss certainly served as a reality check after Tasman's opening round win against Southland.
"I think [Canterbury] just played smarter in that second half. They held on to the ball, we had the wind so we were trying to put it down in their 22, but they just kept the ball and kept chipping away at us.
"Yeah, the boys were pretty disappointed [but] we definitely tried pretty bloody hard to get the win."
Squire offered a succinct response regarding his expectations of tomorrow's contest.
"A [Tasman] win," he said.
"We've been watching clips of the Canterbury game to see where we went wrong . . . but the boys will be pretty excited for Counties, they'll definitely be up.
"It's only our third game . . . so there's still plenty of excitement in the camp. We're capable of some good things, we've got some exciting players. They've got some pretty flash backs but so do we . . . and they've got quite a physical forward pack so it'll definitely be a tough one."
Injury has forced second five-eighth Andy Symons (shoulder) and No 8 George Stowers (knee) out of tomorrow's lineup, with Tom Marshall moving into the No 12 jersey and Marty Banks making his ITM Cup debut at fullback. Sila Puafisi replaces Siua Halanukonuka at tighthead prop and flanker Gary Redmond comes in for Stowers on the bench. Fullback Robbie Malneek is still unavailable with a hamstring injury.
It remains a strong Tasman side regardless, with Squire still buoyant about the team's potential. "We know we can beat most of these teams, so it's exciting. We're definitely not going up there to come away with a loss, so the boys will be up for it.
"It's definitely not going to be an easy game but we've got a good, exciting team. They're pretty similar to us, quite a physical forward pack, so if we can match that . . ."
Tasman head coach Kieran Keane said everyone was aware of their shortcomings against Canterbury.
"It was the second half against Canterbury which we sort of abdicated from and yet we had all the elements, so I think it's more of an attitude adjustment than anything else," said Keane.
"Canterbury were very good and deserved their win. We let our opportunities slip by and panicked a little so with a cooler head and a bit more focus in a similar direction, I think that we can right some things. And that's the attitude that we're going to head up north with.
"We want to be very focused about what we do and go and try and achieve it."
In many respects, Counties-Manukau are similar in strength and attitude to Tasman.
"They've got a very good backline from nine right through to 15, so I think their strength clearly lies there, although their ball-carrying forwards are also a menace.
"It's going to be a good challenge for us and everybody's truly aware of just how difficult the task will be, but we're excited about going up there and trying to get our campaign back on track."
MATCH FACTS
WHAT: Tasman v Counties-Manukau WHERE: ECOLight Stadium, Pukekohe WHEN: Tomorrow, 7.35pm REFEREE: Grant Stuart (Waikato) HEAD-TO-HEAD: Played 4 (2009-12), Tasman 2 wins, Counties-Manukau 2 wins LAST MATCH: Tasman 28 Counties-Manukau 19, October 9, 2012, in Pukekohe TASMAN MAKOS: Marty Banks, Bryce Heem, Kieron Fonotia, Tom Marshall, James Lowe, Hayden Cripps, Mark Swanepoel, Tevita Koloamatangi, Shane Christie (captain), Liam Squire, Joe Wheeler, Alex Ainley, Sila Puafisi, Quentin MacDonald, Tim Perry. Reserves: Francis Smith, Siua Halanukonuka, Tevita Cavubati, Gary Redmond, Kaide Whiting, Billy Guyton, Mitchell Scott. COUNTIES-MANUKAU STEELERS: Sherwin Stowers, Frank Halai, Rey Lee-Lo, Bundee Aki, Tony Pulu, Baden Kerr, August Pulu, Fritz Lee, Maama Vaipulu, Adam Cathcart, Jimmy Tupou, Ronald Raaymakers, Jarrod Firth, Hika Elliot, Sam Aiono. Reserves: Michael Lea, Simon Lemalu, Johnny Kawau, Sean Reidy, Kane Hancy, Sam Vaka, Ahsee Tuala.
