'Old hand' Austin back for Thames Valley game

To illustrate how green this Manawatu team is, only former High School Old Boys' team-mate Kane Barry has played more than Austin's 38 games for Manawatu.

And yet Austin doesn't turn 25 until next week. He will play at fullback against Thames Valley at Arena Manawatu, his 31st NPC match, in place of the injured Craig Clare.

"When I started, the reps had guys who'd played 60 games," said Austin.

Manawatu is only marginally more battle hardened than the Swamp Foxes, who have had 16 players making their NPC debuts this year.

After playing the club season with Stratford in Taranaki alongside Manawatu exiles Lifeimi Mafi and Jason Eaton, Austin came home to spend time with his partner and rejoin his landscaping employer of the last three years, Carl Izatt. Austin had been picked for Taranaki B, but gave that a miss.

After a few weeks in Palmerston North without rugby, he missed it, and when invited to play for Manawatu B, he cut up East Coast B with his running on the Oval.

However, he probably won't see the NPC season out. He's planning to fly to Ireland in three weeks to play for former Manawatu first-five Jason Holland's Old Crescent club in Limerick.

"I'm getting older so I want to try and make a buck out of the game. I will definitely come back home though and try to get another contract."

Although he considers himself a part-time goalkicker, he'll be the back-up to recalled Wanganui loan player Junior Tomasi Cama tomorrow.

Cama has made the remarkable transition from not being wanted to a starting wing. It's chance to see how he copes for Manawatu at NPC level.

Clare's injury, meanwhile, is a blow for Manawatu because he's the most consistent ball striker, and although he has come into the reserves, his abdominal injury means he can't sprint and will only play as a last resort.

The coaches have taken the workload right off him.

The minimum Manawatu must do tomorrow is bag five NPC points and win well, considering Thames Valley has conceded an average of 70 points in four games and has scored just two tries. Anything short of a big score won't please an increasingly discerning populace.

Valley coach Aaron Taylor, a centurion midfeild back for the union, has recruited two more loan players this week to replace casualties. In come Tim McCarth from Hamilton Marist and wing Dave Nafoea from Auckland's Waitemata club.

While the Valley forwards have been honest, they lack experience and the team's defence has been weak. At lock is Gene Waller, brother of former Manawatu and Hurricanes lock Dion, while experienced midfield back Steven Hill returns from injury to lead the side.

It's alarming to see the Swamp Foxes languishing so badly because last year Manawatu beat them by only 13-12 on a heavy Paeroa Domain.

Manawatu has six changes from the team which started at Blenheim and while something needed to be done after that debacle, the changes don't help with cohesion and consistency.