Heartland XV coaches Peter Kemp and Guy Lennox have named their side to take on a USA Select XV in Salt Lake City, Utah, this weekend.
The match is the opening act of a USA Rugby double-header featuring a Test match between USA and Uruguay being played at the new Rio Tinto Stadium, home of United States Major League Soccer team Real Salt Lake. The stadium, which has a capacity of 25,000, was only officially opened last month.
Heartland XV coach Peter Kemp says the team have definitely noticed the move from San Francisco, where they defeated the Pacific Coast Grizzlies in the first match of their tour, to Salt Lake City.
“The temperature has dropped about 15 degrees and there’s a heavy covering of snow on the mountains here.
“We believe the USA selection will be a lot different to our last opponents. They are the second tier of the USA’s top players so we expect a greater level of intensity.”
New Zealand Heartland XV team: 1. Hayden Rasmussen (Thames Valley), 2. Joseph Harwood (Wairarapa Bush) (Captain), 3. Jason Rickard (Mid Canterbury), 4. Malcolm Cairns (Mid Canterbury), 5. Daniel Dwyer (Mid Canterbury), 6. Jon Dampney (Mid Canterbury), 7. Jason Gill (Mid Canterbury), 8. Michael Broadhurst (Poverty Bay), 9. Andrew Stephens (Buller), 10. Leon Mason (Wanganui), 11. Brenton Connell (Mid Canterbury), 12. Scott Leighton (Poverty Bay), 13. Coll Campbell (Poverty Bay), 14. Lasa Ulukuta (West Coast), 15. Aseli Tikoirotuma (Wanganui).
Reserves: 16. Andrew Gadsby (West Coast), 17. Matthew Gilbert (Wanganui), 18. Ross Hay (North Otago), 19. Eric Smith (South Canterbury), 20. Hamish McKenzie (North Otago), 21. Corey Simpson (West Coast), 22. Cameron Crowley (Wanganui).
Match details: Heartland XV v USA Select XV, Rio Tinto Stadium, Salt Lake City, 8 November at 1:15pm (9.15am Sunday NZT).
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