{"id":5886,"date":"2017-07-09T17:00:08","date_gmt":"2017-07-09T05:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/?p=5886"},"modified":"2017-07-09T16:55:57","modified_gmt":"2017-07-09T04:55:57","slug":"piri-weepu-marquee-signing-in-30-man-wairarapa-bush-squad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/2017\/07\/09\/piri-weepu-marquee-signing-in-30-man-wairarapa-bush-squad\/","title":{"rendered":"Piri Weepu marquee signing in 30-man Wairarapa-Bush squad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Follow @RedefinedRugby<\/a><\/p>\n

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Piri Weepu marquee signing in 30-man Wairarapa-Bush squad<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Piri Weepu\u2019s vast experience and mana could be pivotal for Farriers Wairarapa-Bush in the upcoming Heartland Championship.<\/p>\n

The former All Black has been confirmed as one of 30-players in the Wairarapa-Bush squad, named on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The squad includes 13-players without any Heartland experience, and notably only two players who are not based in Wairarapa, in addition to Weepu. They are Sam Tufuga and Cyrus Baker, both currently living in Manawatu, and both with local connections having growing up in the province.<\/p>\n

A veteran of 71-tests, Weepu\u2019s selection follows that of former All Black Zac Guildford, who wore the Wairarapa-Bush jersey last season.<\/p>\n

Head coach Joe Harwood says the 33-year old – a key figure in the All Blacks’ 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign – presents an exciting opportunity for Wairarapa-Bush.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis knowledge of the game and being able to share that, not just with the younger guys but the senior guys in the team too, is a fantastic opportunity for us,\u201d Harwood says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want Piri to enjoy his time with us as much as he can, and we want our guys to learn as much as they can while he is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

A former Hurricane and then Blues players, Weepu has been seeing out his playing career in the Northern Hemisphere. He returned to New Zealand last month and was part of Sky Sport’s commentary team for the All Blacks-Lions test series.<\/p>\n

When comparing Weepu\u2019s experience to some of the newbies in the squad, the gulf could not be wider. Hooker Ryan Hargood and first-five eighth Brad Griffith are both fresh out of school, having played for Wairarapa College 1st XV last year. The latter is one of three new players to get the call up since the hit-out against Hawke\u2019s Bay Saracens at Queen\u2019s Birthday Weekend. The other two are Griffith\u2019s Gladstone club-mate, out-side back Matt McCrae and Martinborough lock Jake Warren.<\/p>\n

Harwood says, there are some senior guys who are unlucky to have missed out, but the selectors are conscious of \u201clooking to the future\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lot of young talent in the province and we think that this is a really good opportunity to develop it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys like Brad Griffith and Matt McCrae have been playing some fantastic footy and really deserve their call up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The door is still open on one more selection, a back-up hooker. There is also a question make on a couple of player\u2019s fitness, among them Greytown No.8 Tavita Isaac who suffered a head knock earlier in the season.<\/p>\n

The squad go into camp on August 4-5 and then have matches against Poverty Bay and then a Manawatu Development XV before kicking off their Heartland campaign away to defending champions Wanganui on August 26.<\/p>\n

– 2017 Farriers Wairarapa Bush RU – <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mitre10 Heartland Championship Squad named<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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\"fb_follow\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"rhladrr\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Follow @RedefinedRugby Piri Weepu\u2019s vast experience and mana could be pivotal for Farriers Wairarapa-Bush in the upcoming Heartland Championship. The former All Black has been confirmed as one of 30-players in the Wairarapa-Bush squad, named on Sunday. The squad includes 13-players without any Heartland experience, and notably only two players who are not based in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Piri Weepu marquee signing in 30-man Wairarapa-Bush squad\r\nhttp:\/\/wp.me\/p4wlzH-1wW","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-heartland-championship","category-rugbyheartland-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/piriweepu.jpg?fit=615%2C409&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4wlzH-1wW","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6093,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/2017\/08\/27\/weepu-health-scare-caps-off-disastrous-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":5886,"position":0},"title":"Weepu health scare caps off disastrous day","author":"admin_hland","date":"August 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby Piri Weepu is to undergo a full medical check in Wellington on Monday after a suspected asthma attack saw his Farriers Wairarapa-Bush debut cut short. The former All Black lay prone on the field as he was treated by ambulance staff early in the second half against Wanganui\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Heartland Championship"","block_context":{"text":"Heartland Championship","link":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/category\/heartland-championship\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Rhlad_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Rhlad_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Rhlad_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Rhlad_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Rhlad_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5949,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/2017\/08\/18\/plenty-of-positives-in-loss-to-manawatu\/","url_meta":{"origin":5886,"position":1},"title":"Plenty of positives in loss to Manawatu","author":"admin_hland","date":"August 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby Source:\u00a0http:\/\/waibush.co.nz\/ It wouldn\u2019t have been the result that they wanted, but Farriers Wairarapa-Bush can be well pleased with their performance against Manawatu Development at Trust House Memorial Park in Masterton this evening. Beaten 33-17 by a reasonably polished opposition, Wairarapa-Bush showed a huge improvement on their effort the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Heartland Championship"","block_context":{"text":"Heartland Championship","link":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/category\/heartland-championship\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/rhland_wbr.gif?fit=1024%2C356&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/rhland_wbr.gif?fit=1024%2C356&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/rhland_wbr.gif?fit=1024%2C356&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/rhland_wbr.gif?fit=1024%2C356&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7022,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/2018\/05\/05\/host-of-newcomers-for-wai-bush\/","url_meta":{"origin":5886,"position":2},"title":"Host of newcomers for Wai-Bush","author":"admin_hland","date":"May 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby \u201cNew look\u201d is hardly an apt description for the Wairarapa-Bush rugby side which will take on Horowhenua-Kapiti at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Saturday. No fewer than 12 of the 23 players named in the squad will be making their debut for Wairarapa-Bush at senior representative level and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "RugbyHeartland News"","block_context":{"text":"RugbyHeartland News","link":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/category\/rugbyheartland-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/18_slide_no1.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/18_slide_no1.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/18_slide_no1.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/18_slide_no1.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/18_slide_no1.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5992,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/2017\/08\/24\/mitre-10-heartland-championship-2017-kicks-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":5886,"position":3},"title":"Mitre 10 Heartland Championship 2017 kicks off","author":"admin_hland","date":"August 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby Heartland Championship fans will be in for a treat this upcoming season with a number of big names set to turn out alongside provincial stalwarts for another exciting edition of the competition. Former All Blacks Piri Weepu, Alby Mathewson and Regan King have been named to play for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Heartland Championship"","block_context":{"text":"Heartland Championship","link":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/category\/heartland-championship\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Rhlad_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Rhlad_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Rhlad_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Rhlad_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Rhlad_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6145,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/2017\/08\/30\/heartland-squad-named-for-jock-hobbs-memorial-national-under-19-tournament\/","url_meta":{"origin":5886,"position":4},"title":"Heartland squad named for Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 Tournament","author":"admin_hland","date":"August 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby Heartland squad named for Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 Tournament New Zealand\u2019s top young talent from the Heartland Unions are set to once again come together to compete at the annual Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 Tournament. The Heartland team joins the best of New Zealand's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "RugbyHeartland News"","block_context":{"text":"RugbyHeartland News","link":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/category\/rugbyheartland-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/jh_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/jh_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/jh_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/jh_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/jh_slide2017.jpg?fit=1200%2C240&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1102,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/2014\/08\/29\/heartland-preview-wairarapa-bush-v-mid-canterbury-head-2-head\/","url_meta":{"origin":5886,"position":5},"title":"Heartland Preview \u2013 Wairarapa Bush v Mid Canterbury \u2013 Head 2 Head","author":"admin_hland","date":"August 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby 30 August 2014 Wairarapa Bush v Mid Canterbury @ Masterton 1.30 PM - BET NOW Head to Head - Odds @ 3.385pm 29\/08\/2014 Wairarapa Bush ($2.60) v ($1.45) Mid Canterbury Eketahuna FM will have live commentary from TrustHouse Memorial Park Wairarapa Bush v Mid Canterbury on www.radioeketahuna.co.nz\u00a0106.5 FM\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Heartland Championship"","block_context":{"text":"Heartland Championship","link":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/category\/heartland-championship\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/fbcv2new.jpg?fit=850%2C316&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/fbcv2new.jpg?fit=850%2C316&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/fbcv2new.jpg?fit=850%2C316&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/fbcv2new.jpg?fit=850%2C316&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5886"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5888,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5886\/revisions\/5888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}