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Imposing forward Kurtis Haiu will play his 50th game for Auckland on Saturday - PHOTOSPORT
Auckland head coach Mark Anscombe and assistant coach Andrew Strawbridge have named their team to face Hawke’s Bay at McLean Park, Napier on Saturday in their opening match of the Air New Zealand Cup (kick off 2.35pm).
Auckland’s new-look team faces a tough first-up assignment against a Hawke’s Bay outfit brimming with experience, but Anscombe’s side will certainly not be intimidated as 12 players in the Auckland starting lineup have featured in the Rebel Sport Super 14 this year.
Hard hitting second five eighths Benson Stanley has been named as captain of this season’s Auckland Air New Zealand Cup team, but after only returning to the fold recently following a horrific hamstring tear in February, Anscombe has opted to give his skipper more time to recover.
Stanley will line up for Ponsonby in the Gallaher Shield final against University on Saturday.
Flanker Kurtis Haiu will take over the mantle as captain for Saturday’s game which also sees the imposing forward notch up his 50th cap for Auckland.
The Auckland team to face Hawke’s Bay at McLean Park, Napier on Saturday (2.35pm kick-off) is: 15 Paul Williams (Ponsonby) 14 Dave Thomas (Grammar Carlton) 13 Winston Stanley (Ponsonby) 12 Jamie Helleur (University) 11 Atieli Pakalani (Grammar Carlton) 10 Daniel Bowden (Ponsonby) 9 Taniela Moa (Te Papapa-Mt Wellington) 8 Peter Saili (Marist) 7 Onosa’i Auva’a (Grammar Carlton) 6 Kurtis Haiu (Captain) (Marist) 5 Jay Williams (Ponsonby) 4 Andrew Van der Heijden (University) 3 Tevita Mailau (Otahuhu) 2 Tom McCartney (Pakuranga) 1 Pauliasi Manu (University)
Reserves: 16 Francis Smith (University) 17 Charlie Faumuina (Otahuhu) 18 Hamish Paterson (Grammar Carlton) 19 Dean Budd (Grammar Carlton) 20 Grayson Hart (Grammar Carlton) 21 Ash Moeke (Grammar Carlton) 22 Teddy Stanaway (University)
