All eyes on Kaierau fixtures
With Border and Pirates looking assured of comfortable home victories in the 13th and penultimate qualifying round of the 2018 Tasman Tanning Wanganui premier club rugby competition on Saturday the interest will centre on fixtures at the Kaierau Country Club and at Rochfort Park in Ohakune.
Waverley Harvesting Border (36 pts), who slipped from fourth to fifth place last weekend after losing 12-26 at home to top of the table McCarthy Transport Ruapehu (45 pts), host bottom placed Harvey Round Motors Ratana (6 pts), a side it beat 68-0, including 10 tries, in the first round at Marton Park.
Ratana, who finally broke a lengthy losing spell last weekend with an upset 31-26 away win over Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri, has only beaten Border twice since the Waverley side returned from the Taranaki union in 2011.
Second positioned Black Bull Liquor Pirates (45 pts) beat Ngamatapouri by default in the first round and will go out red hot favourites to complete the double at Spriggens Park this weekend although the hosts will still be recalling the close 22-20 win of last season at the park.
Despite a spate of injuries, sixth positioned Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau (27 pts) will be hoping for a close tussle against third-placed Byford’s Readimix Taihape (38 pts) at the Devon Road Country Club.
Taihape, outplayed 15-23 by Pirates last Saturday, is shooting for a fourth successive 40-plus score at the Country Club but only scrambled home 22-20 at Memorial Park two months ago against Kaierau.
Devon Road, however, has been a happy hunting ground for Taihape in recent years, claiming wins by 45-20 last season, 40-28 in 2016 and 46-26 in 2015. Although winning 10 of the last 12 home and away qualifying matches against Kaierau since 2012 Taihape will still remember last year’s premier consolation final which the city siders won 40-24 on Spriggens Park.
On paper defending champions Ruapehu should beat fourth slotted Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist (37 pts) at Ohakune despite the rousing 42-20 home trouncing of Border. Ruapehu scored seven tries to one in beating Marist 45-10 in the first round and will be aiming for a seventh straight home win over the visitors since 2011.
Apart from a close 29-22 victory last winter the Mountain Men have won comfortably on home soil against Marist in the last six years including an 87-3 walkover in 2013.
Last year Ruapehu out-scored Marist five tries to one in Ohakune with goal-kicker Mitchell Millar (now playing for Ruapehu) kicking 17 points for the visitors.
Although dropping to fifth place, just a point adrift of Marist, Border has the easiest of finishing matches in the last fortnight of qualifying, hosting Ratana and away to Ngamatapouri. By contrast Marist has to overcome Ruapehu in Ohakune this weekend and then Taihape at Spriggens Park. Taihape also comes to Wanganui this weekend to play Kaierau.
It is perhaps fitting that the two current top sides, Ruapehu and Pirates, who have only a point separating them, clash at Rochfort Park in the final qualifying round.
Shield Moved Around
Challenge Trophy rugby creates plenty of interest in the various grades each season and this year there has been a ton of movement in the Stihl Shop Wanganui Challenge Shield in the local senior competition.
The trophy has changed hands eight times including Border’s de-throning of Speirs Food Marton 15-13 at Marton Park on opening day, March 17.
After defending the shield 53-3 v Pirates and by default against Taihape Border was beaten 27-26 by Kaierau at the Devon Road Country Club but seven days later visitors Marist Buffalos took the trophy 23-18 at the same venue. Buffalos, however, suffered the same fate in a first defence, crashing 44-5 to playingthrough champions Marton at Marton Park.
Marton repelled strong challenges from Utiku OB (15-7) and Counties (15-12) before being out-played 32-9 away from home by near neighbours Kelso Hunterville who had enjoyed a golden run with the trophy between 2007 and 2015.
But Hunterville came unstuck a week later, losing 18-17 to Counties on McNab Domain at Kaiwhaiki.
Counties beat Buffalos 18-8 on the Wanganui Racecourse but crashed 33-7 to the other Marist side, Celtic, on Spriggens Park.
Seven days on and Border reemerged to upset Celtic 23-20 at Spriggens Park.
Last weekend Border repelled a challenge from Taihape 36-7.
Co-bottom-placed Counties (without a point after three of five qualifying games) are at home to second equal Border (10 pts) in a shield game this weekend.
Top of the table Hunterville (14 pts) host defending champions Marton (10 pts) — it was 32-9 to Hunterville in round one — on Saturday and Celtic (also 10 pts) will be hoping to improve on an opening day 24-17 away win against Taihape (0 pts) at Spriggens Park.
In the senior consolation co leaders Kaierau and Buffalos (9 pts each) have respective matches against Seales Winslow Pirates (5 pts) at Devon Road and Ruapehu (0 pts) in Ohakune.
Kaierau beat Pirates 15-12 and Buffalos beat Ruapehu 29-5 in the first round.
Utiku OB (7 pts) has the bye.
Second Points Centurion
Kaierau’s Shandon Scott has become the second player to reach 100 points in the Wanganui premier club competition this season. He has 108 points to join Border’s defending champion Lachlan Harding (133 pts) as triple figure scorers. In goalkicking Harding leads Scott by 83 pts to 78.
Ruapehu winger Shaquelle Waara is the top try scorer with 13 tries, three clear of Border’s Harry Symes who was tops last winter with 15 tries. In team try scoring Ruapehu is well clear of Border 66 to 55 and Ruapehu has conceded the least tries — 19 to Pirates 24.