Waikato go into the second round of NPC matches against North Harbour this weekend with five changes to the side that started to impressively against Counties Manakau on Sunday.

One man happy to be back and with the chance to get some rugby under his belt is All Black replacement flanker Marty Holah who admits to being a little ring rusty thanks to limited opportunities with the national side.

Just a quarter of a hour on Saturday against the Wallabies in Dunedin will not have satisfied the open side who made his All Black debut against Manu Samoa in June and now he says he is pleased to be back in Waikato colours.

"It's good to be back in the red, yellow and black," Holah told the Waikato Times. "I've been doing quite a bit of (fitness) work like running and stuff but there's only one way to get match fitness and that's by spending time on the field, which unfortunately I haven't been doing much of lately."

Waikato's other returning All Black Mark Cooksley is back in the side in the second of five changes in the front eight.

Hooker Anton Edwards replaces the injured Guy Coleman and tight-head prop Tony Philp relegates loose-head prop Dave Briggs to the bench. The other prop Deacon Manu moves across to the other side of the front row.

The latter was something of a surprise selection and tactical by all accounts with coach Kiwi Searancke saying he wanted to keep the pressure on the big men in the front row, give Philp a run out and avoid complacency.

Royce Willis was initially named in the squad despite breaking down in training but has since been ruled out so Chrestan Davies comes in in the engine room and Glen Remnant is brought in on the reserve bench.

Waikato Team: Grant McQuoid, Roger Randle, Keith Lowen, Bruce Reihana, Scott McLeod, David Hill, Rhys Duggan, Deon Muir (captain), Marty Holah, Mark Cooksley, Chresten Davis, Jonno Gibbes, Tony Philp, Anton Edwards, Deacon Manu. Reserves: Matt Priscott, Mark Van Gisbergen, Isaac Boss, Scott Couch, Glen Remnant, David Briggs, Dennis Hazelton.

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