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The Varsity team to play Linton Army on the 5th August in the Hankins Shield Semi Final match has been named. Ashhurst 2
Ref: Mark Jackson
2.45pm Varsity and Linton Army meet for the fourth time tomorrow with 2 wins to Varsity and 1 to the Soldiers. All of the wins for each team have been in away games, Varsity 18-11 and 27-19 at Massey University and Linton 22-16 at the army camp.
Linton has a big pack and while its wingers don't see a lot of ball, the soldiers know how to tackle.
Varsity coach Vern Wilson is glad to see rep lock Alex Waite returning for the semi-final. There's also a chance Leon Power will be back from Taranaki where he's the No. 4 lock.
Injuries put fullback Frazer Murray and Cameron Hayton out of the quarterfinal against HSOB but they return tomorrow. Wilson has been pleased with the progress of his young players like Louis Booth and first-five Isaac Thompson, both in the Palmerston North Boys' High School 1st XV last year. Like everyone, Wilson wouldv'e preferred the semifinals to be played on a higher profile field than at Ashhurst.
"We made the Institute field's available to them. It seems a shame club football has been reduced to it." He expects any team in the semifinals to be tough. "We were not too worried about who we got. We've played Feilding Old Boys three times and beaten them twice." He praises his experience men - flanker Blair Robinson, prop David Faulkner and prp Con Williams - for helping see Varsity through. And he wishes hooker Willie Tran was recognised. "I rate him among the top two hookers in the Manawatu." This is Varsity's third successive semifinals apperance, the same for College Old Boys and FOB. Linton Army's oly other one since it returned to senior first rugby was in 2000 when the soldiers lost 17-1 to Marist.
 | |  | | Varsity | vs | Linton Army
| | 1. | Con Williams (C)
| | 1. | Kelly Allan (C)
| | 2. | Willie Tran
| | 2. | Asa Palatchie
| | 3. | Kev Curtis
| | 3. | Dean Paul
| | 4. | Leon Power
| | 4. | Franni Woodmass | | 5. | Alex Waite
| | 5. | Sonny Woodmass
| | 6. | Blair Robinson | | 6. | Casey Lowe
| | 7. | Louis Booth
| | 7. | Dane Berghan | | 8. | Luke Goodin | | 8. | Karl Stewart
| | 9. | Shaan Stevens
| | 9. | Tim Kareko | | 10. | Isaac Thompson | | 10. | Cody Hall | | 11. | Max Pearson
| | 11. | Jon Adams | | 12. | Louis Maxwell | | 12. | Mathew Oldridge
| | 13. | Andrew Patrick
| | 13. | Michael Te Whare | | 14. | Cameron Hayton
| | 14. | Jeremy Evans
| | 15. | Frazer Murray
| | 15. | Eugene Hepi | | 16. | Mike Lee
| | 16. | Matt Kerr
| | 17. | Kev Curtis
| | 17. | Tana Fatu
| | 18. | Jaiden Drought |
| 18. | Zinzan Ransfield-Kake | | 19. | James Oakes | | 19. | Andrew Cochrane | | 20. | Dan Waldon
| | 20. | Dylan McQuinn
| | 21. | David Hughes
| | 21. | Jared Stewart
| | 22. | Hamish Clare
| | 22. | Sione Toia
| | Coach | Verne Wilson
| | Coach | Darren Horsley
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