First pre-season match for Taranaki Bulls on Saturday

Taranaki Bulls coach Neil Barnes has brought in reinforcements ahead of the side's first pre-season outing on Saturday. 

Taranaki will play Bay of Plenty and either Counties Manukau or Waikato in a miniseries being held in Te Awamutu.

Teams will play two halves of 25 minutes with the Bulls’ first game kicking off is at 12noon and their second game at 1pm or 2pm, depending on results. 

Barnes has taken 32 players north but didn’t consider those involved in the club final.

Rowan Slater, Chris Gawler, Jackson Morgan, AJ Lemalu, Paul Perez and Rocky Olsen are just some selected outside the contracted group.

The Bulls play Wellington in their second pre-season match in Waverley next Saturday.

Taranaki: Mitch O’Neill, Chris Gawler, Donald Brighouse, Kyle Stewart, Crusader Faletagoa’i, Bradley Slater, JJ Pokai, Tupou Vaa’i, Jackson Morgan, Mickey Woolliams, Mitch Brown, Scott Jury, Rowan Slater, Christian Fa’avae, Tom Florence, Hemopo Cunningham, Kaylem Boshier, AJ Lemalu, Adam Lennox, Logan Crowley, Stan van den Hoven, Josh Jacob, Rocky Olsen, Mason Milham, Zak McDonald, Brayton Northcott-Hill, Adam Smith, Louis Bartley-Saena, Ethan Reti, Paul Perez, Harry Symes, Stephen Perofeta.