North Otago players Jason Forrest and Lei'ataua Limuloa-Tahaafe have been named in a Heartland XV dominated by Meads Cup champion Wanganui.
Forrest, from the Excelsior club, is a strapping halfback with an accurate boot, who was favoured over Nick Webster and Hamish McKenzie for most of the season.
Timuloa-Tahaafe (Old Boys) is a tall and aerially skilled lock, who finished the season strongly as North Otago won the Lochore Cup.
There was no room in the squad for other well-performed North Otago players like flanker Ross Hay and first five Dan Waenga.
Wanganui, which beat Mid-Canterbury in the feature Heartland Championship final at the weekend, understandably dominates the squad, with eight players named.
The Heartland XV has toured in previous seasons but, possibly due to budget cuts at the top, it will only get one game this year, against a Marist XV in Masterton on November 14.
The Heartland team was selected by former All Black Earle Kirton and Heartland XV coaches Guy Lennox (Wanganui) and Grainger Heikell (Poverty Bay).
• Heartland XV - to play Marist XV
Cole Baldwin (Wanganui), Josh Cornish (West Coast), Cameron Crowley (Wanganui), Jon Dampney (Mid-Canterbury), Aarin Dunster (King Country), James Ferguson (West Coast), Jason Forrest (North Otago), Matthew Gilbert (Wanganui), David Gower (Wanganui), Fraser Hammond (Wanganui), Ben Hewitson (South Canterbury), Scott Leighton (Poverty Bay), Lei'ataua Limuloa-Tahaafe (North Otago), Kevin Moore (Buller), Sione Ngatu (Poverty Bay), Nick Olson (Wairarapa Bush), Kane Quinlan (King Country), Jason Rickard (Mid-Canterbury), Peter Rowe (Wanganui), Fainga'a Savieti (South Canterbury), Aseli Tikoirotuma (Wanganui), Lasa Ulukuta (Wanganui).
