Canterbury, Waikato, Otago set — maybe Hawke’s Bay
PREMIERSHIP
The oil: Canterbury is undefeated this season and beat Wellington 435 in round one. The red and blacks scooped four consecutive titles from 2017 to 2020. But they were edged 2220 by Waikato in the final last season and have had some narrow escapes this season.Wellington scraped into the semifinals with two wins from six games.
Key players: Elusive outside Martha Mataele has been in electric form for Canterbury, while Thamsyn Newton will run the cutter for Wellington from first five.
Prediction: Canterbury by plenty.
The oil: Auckland sneaked into the playoffs with a late try to seal a 2625 win over Wellington last week. Waikato has been in much more convincing form. Its only loss came against Canterbury and it beat Auckland 415 a couple of weeks ago.
Key players: Quality midfielder Rina Paraone is hard to stop, while experienced lock Eloise Blackwell leads an athletic pack.
Prediction: Comfortable win for Waikato.
CHAMPIONSHIP
The oil: Otago has mowed down all opposition rather easily this season. But it is without a couple of key players in Maia Joseph and Oceana Campbell. North Harbour gave Otago more problems than any other side this season and upset Tasman in the Championship quarterfinal last weekend.
Key players: Otago halfback Georgia Cormick’s snappy clearance has been the secret to unlocking a dangerous backline. Experienced midfield back Hayley Hutana is the key cog in the North Harbour lineup and a decent goalkicker.
Prediction: Otago by 15.
The oil: Hawke’s Bay has not played since midAugust, so that could be an issue. But it did beat Northland 3217 in round four. Northland beat Taranaki 3119 in the championship quarterfinal last week. It has a big pack but has faded in some games.
Key players: Northland No 8 Tui McGeorge is a strong ball carrier. Krysten Cottrell will direct traffic for Hawke’s Bay and is a pivot.
Prediction: Hawke’s Bay a slight edge.