MEDIA RELEASE
11 October 2018

There will be added incentive for the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls on Friday night as blockbusting centre Seta Tamanivalu will play his final match for the amber and blacks against Wellington.

The 26-year-old signed a three-year-deal with French club Bordeaux in the Top 14 and will depart Taranaki after the Mitre10 Cup season.

Tamanivalu, who will play his 62^nd match on Friday, made his Mitre10 Cup debut for Taranaki in 2012, when he came off the bench in the Ranfurly Shield match against Hawkes Bay in New Plymouth.

Not only has Tamanivalu been a prominent player for Taranaki, but also for Super Rugby franchises the Chiefs and Crusaders where he played 22 and 33 games respectively, debuting in 2015.

Adding to his provincial and Super Rugby caps, Tamanivalu played 5 matches for the All Blacks – his first test was in June 2016 where he came off the bench against Wales at Eden Park.  

Taranaki head coach Willie Rickards commended Tamanivalu’s achievements and thanked him for his commitment and dedication to the province.

“Seta has grown into a world class performer and has transformed into a big influencer on and off the field. His commitment to Taranaki and the contribution he has made is significant and greatly appreciated by his team mates, coaches, supporters and the community.

“We wish Seta, wife Brittney and son Ricky a safe and successful move to France,” he said.   

Rickards has made three starting changes to the side that lost 41-7 to Canterbury in Christchurch on Saturday night.

In the forwards, prop Jared Proffit will gain a start with Chris Gawler dropping to the bench. Kane Thompson returns to the playing 23 after recovering from a hamstring injury and slots in for the suspended Jarrad Hoeata at lock.

Wing Manasa Mataele has also recovered from an ankle injury sustained against North Harbour and starts on the left wing. As a result, Beaudein Waaka drops back to fullback.

In Tamanivalu’s last outing, he lines up with co-captain Teihorangi Walden in the midfield for the eighth and final time this season.

There are also minimal changes on the bench as Adrian Wyrill returns to the amber and blacks after being on loan to Manawatu. He is joined by Logan Crowley, who has recovered from concussion, and Brayton Northcott-Hill.

There was optimism that Taranaki’s non-playing All Blacks in the final test of the Rugby Championship in South Africa would be released for this game. Unfortunately, as the All Blacks did not arrive back into New Zealand until Tuesday morning, only a selection of All Blacks have been released for Sunday matches due to the tight turnaround and therefore Jordie Barrett, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi and Angus Ta'avao are unavailable.

This is a must-win game for Taranaki to remain in the premiership as a win will see them leap frog Counties Manukau in the competition ladder. A win will put pressure on Counties Manukau to beat Canterbury on Saturday night.

Wellington, who are back in the premiership, have won five of their nine matches in the competition but lost their last match against Auckland 29-24 last week. They currently sit in fourth place equal with North Harbour.

The last time these two sides clashed was in 2017 where Taranaki lost to Wellington 42-26 in a cross-over match in the capital.

Taranaki Rugby would also like to thank their sponsors and supporters during a challenging year which saw both stands closed due to safety concerns.

Gates open at 6:30pm tonight, tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children and are available from gates one and four at Yarrow Stadium or at www.trfu. co.nz.

Yarrows Taranaki Bulls to play Wellington, Friday, 7:35pm:

1. Jared Proffit
2. Ricky Riccitelli
3. Reuben O’Neill
4. Kane Thompson
5. Leighton Price
6. Mitchell Crosswell (cc)
7. Tom Florence
8. Jesse Parete
9. Warwick Lahmert
10. Ciarhan Matoe
11. Manasa Mataele
12. Teihorangi Walden (cc)
13. Seta Tamanivalu
14. Regan Ware
15. Beaudein Waaka

Reserves:

16. Scott Mellow
17. Chris Gawler
18. Kyle Stewart
19. Donald Maka
20. Adrian Wyrill
21. Logan Crowley
22. Brayton Northcott-Hill
23. Latu Vaeno

Unavailable due to All Black duties: Beauden Barrett, Scott Barrett, Jordie Barrett, Waisake Nahalo, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Angus Ta'avao.

Not available for this game: Lachlan Boshier (shoulder), Toa Halafihi (shoulder), Pita Sowakula (shoulder), Tupou Va’ai (concussion), Jarrad Hoeata (suspension), Brendan Leonard (calf), Daniel Waite (shoulder), Stephen Perofeta (shoulder).

Season ending injuries: Bradley Slater (back), Mitchell Graham (leg), Fin Hoeata (shoulder), Mitchell Brown (knee), Sean Wainui (shoulder), Kiniviliame Naholo (ankle), Marty McKenzie (hip).
 

Key Facts:

• Wellington was Taranaki’s first rivalry with their first match in 1885
• The two sides have played 176 matches with Wellington has won 122 and Taranaki 48 games. There has been five draws and one abandoned match which was in 1907 due to water on the field
• Taranaki’s highest score against Wellington was 54 points in 2016
• In the same match Stephen Perofeta scored a hat-trick of tries, the first time a Taranaki player has scored three tries against Wellington since Reginald Taylor (All Black #202) dotted down three times in 1913
• Taranaki’s highest score in New Plymouth was 46 points in 2000
• Wellington’s highest score was in 2004 winning 73-28
• Taranaki has scored seven tries against Wellington three times – 1926, 2000 and 2016
• Wellington has scored ten tries twice against Taranaki – 1929 and 2004
• Taranaki’s worst run was just one win in 20 matches between 1978-1999
• Historically, these two teams met mostly in Hawera twice a year due to train timetables
• Wellington played twice in New Plymouth between 1913-1957 and not once between 1967-1980.

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact;

Will Johnston

TRFU Media Manager

0273 48 38 31

will@trfu.co.nz

Article added: Thursday 11 October 2018