Vant Leven named in Waikato squad | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

Former Bay of Plenty representative Matt Vant Leven has been included in the Waikato training squad for the 2010 National Provincial Championship.

The Rotorua plumber left his Whakarewarewa club a few weeks back, heading to the Waikato, with a glut of talented loose forwards blocking his path to a representative jersey in the Bay of Plenty.

Vant Leven was a standout contributor while at Rotorua Boys' High School and was in last year's Steamers squad, but didn't play in the championship because of injury. His only first class game for the Bay was against Hawke's Bay in the 2009 pre-season.

Since making the move the athletic No 8, or flanker, has been playing club rugby in Hamilton for Fraser Tech.

The 30-man Waikato squad starts training this week and their first pre-season match will be against Auckland on July 8 in Hamilton.

The official 2010 Waikato ITM Cup playing squad will be announced on Tuesday, July 13. Waikato's first competition match is against Bay of Plenty on July 31 in Hamilton at 6.35pm.

Meanwhile, Callum Bruce is leaving Waikato to take up a two-year rugby contract in Japan.

The 26-year-old midfield back will leave this weekend to play rugby in Japan for the Cannon club.

Bruce, formerly from Otago and the Highlanders, played 26 games for the Mooloos, with his last game being as captain of Waikato in the team's last game of the 2009 season. He also played 35 games for the Chiefs.

Bruce was a former New Zealand Maori and Junior All Blacks representative.