Flanker Josh Bradnock is to captain the Manawatu Turbos this season.

Bradnock led the team in four games last season including the last three in the Air New Zealand Cup competition and against Hawke's Bay last Friday.

The captaincy has to go to a player certain of his position and Bradnock is the top openside flanker in Manawatu by a long way.

He started in all nine games for Manawatu in last year's championship. Flanker Nick Crosswell was the only other player to do that.

Former Springbok Joggie Viljoen was the official captain last year but he might have a battle keeping Aaron Good out of the starting halfback's position this time.

Bradnock is into his fourth season as captain of Varsity and the job doesn't faze him.

"If you let it, it can, but hopefully I'll lead from the front," he said. "I also try and concentrate on my own job."

He and 33 others left today for the Turbos training camp at Taupo before playing Bay of Plenty at Whakatane on Friday afternoon.

New Zealand sevens player Junior Tomasi Cama will probably be two weeks away from recovering from his shoulder injury and won't play at Whakatane.

Neither will Crosswell (shoulder) nor fullback Francisco Bosch (knee), who is hoping to be back in three weeks.

Last year's schoolboy wing Andre Taylor played for College Old Boys Bs and five minutes for the As on Saturday, six weeks after lacerating a kidney.

Paul Rodgers might be needed as a back-up lock if Lisiate Fa'aoso is called into the Tongan World Cup squad. Rodgers hopes to try out his knee, which has a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, in club rugby next Saturday.

Fa'aoso will trial for Tonga on July 9 and coach Dave Rennie acknowledged he would be a big loss if picked because he's been in top form.

Fijian wing Simeli Tuiteci is due back for Marist this week from Fiji where he had been holding out for a World Cup place in a squad of 56. He'd also been involved in a court case with his police work.

He won't be at the Manawatu training camp. Nor will another of last year's wings, South African Leon Lubbe, who is expected back with Freyberg next Saturday after a long layoff with a groin tear.

Mercurial Feilding wing Brad Carr couldn't train with the squad in recent weeks because of sickness but hasn't been seen since he has recovered.

Rennie is still keeping an eye out for players, especially if there are further injuries, but few are available in World Cup year and he'd rather opt for players he knows in New Zealand.

Manawatu Turbos squad to Taupo:
Grant Polson, Josh Bradnock, James Goode (Varsity); Aaron James, Hayden Triggs (Linton Army); Aaron Cruden, Aaron Good, Hamish Gosling, Talau Hala, Junior Tomasa Cama (College OB); Nick Crosswell, Jonathon Phipps (Feilding); Aidan Nicols, Mike Rowe (Oroua); Sean O'Connor, Lisiate Fa'aoso, Johnny Leota, Yohei Shinomiya (Marist); Andre Taylor, Francisco Bosch, Frank Bryant, Matty James (Bush); Rob Foreman, Bertus Mulder, Paul Rodgers (HSOB); Daniel Alofa, Siaosi Anamani, Kurt Baker, Joggie Viljoen, Graham Smith (Kia Toa); James Su'a (Feilding OB); Stephen Treleaven (Te Kawau); David Te Moana (Gold Coast Breakers, Queensland).