It has been a week for Steelform Whanganui coach Jason Hamlin to do some tinkering – tightening up the screws and bolts of the engine running this Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship race.

Sitting just outside the Top 4 on points differential from King Country, Whanganui hosts a Buller team that has been through the gambit of emotions in the past fortnight.

The South Island team became just the third side to hold the Bill Osborne taonga when they ended Ngāti Porou East Coast’s season-plus reign in the opening round of the competition in Ruatoria, 13-11.

Buller then proceeded to set a new record for the shortest tenure at seven days, as King Country became the fourth holders last weekend with a comprehensive 54-27 win in Westport.

Still, with talent like former NZ Heartland XV prop Anthony Ellis, 69-game veteran winger Mitieli Kaloudigibeci and first-five Andrew Wells - a former Wellington representative who kicked the winning penalty in Ruatoria on fulltime - Buller will be bringing some talent north as they reset their goals for 2024.

But for Whanganui, coming off the back-and-forth 47-36 win over Poverty Bay in Patutahi, the focus has been on tidying up the little things, setting themselves up after this week for a big fortnight of games against some Meads Cup semifinal contenders.

“We’re both in the same boat – one win, one loss,” said Hamlin regarding Buller.

“We’re both out there trying to tinker and find our best formula.”

Due to wet weather conditions on Tuesday, Whanganui did a rigorous indoor fitness session, with Thursday’s training being about testing combinations.

“Catching, passing, being real accurate in our skill execution,” said Hamlin.

“Once we can get that done, we’re in a good place

“If we can get a few aspects right and marry that with the effort...then we can hit the competition running in the next few weeks.

It is likely that incumbent first-five Dane Whale will step back this weekend to be fresh ahead of those upcoming big clashes.

That will add responsibilities on Saturday for Ethan Robinson, who surpassed 200 points for Whanganui with his 22-point haul against Poverty Bay.

Utility back Peceli Malanicagi also returns after his wedding last weekend.

But one big decision will be who gets to lead the team out onto the field with both regular starting props in Kamipeli Latu and Gabriel Hakaraia celebrating an identical personal milestone.

“They’re both got to notch up 50 games, that’s pretty special as at itself,” said Hamlin.

“It will be a nice moment.”

Hakaraia debuted as a teenager in 2016 and has been in and around the squad ever since, while Latu played from 2014-2020, and is making an impressive comeback this season.

Kickoff is 2.30pm.

By Jared Smith