Home semifinal a strong motivator
It’d take a brave punter to pick who will get through
The clash between Kaierau and Taihape this weekend will play a key role in deciding which club hosts a Tasman Tanning Whanganui Premier rugby semifinal on July 1.
Judging by last Saturday’s convincing 31-7 demolition of the Kaiwhakas at the Devon Road Country Club, Waverley Harvesting Border are on track for a Dallison Park semifinal.
To avoid a possible away cutthroat encounter with titleholders Border, second-placed Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau and third-positioned Byford’s Readimix Taihape would dearly love victory this weekend.
There is only a point between them after five of eight qualifying fixtures, although the key return Taihape-Border fixture looms large at Memorial Park on June 10.
Kaierau and Taihape were heading for a 12-12 draw on April 22 until Dane Whale landed a match-winning penalty goal in the dying seconds of a very even first-round match for the clutch 15-12 victory.
Kaierau are ahead of Taihape by 15 points to 14 on the table, which Border lead on 19.
The two clubs have beaten one another on each of the past four seasons — Taihape winning 17-11 at the Country Club in 2019 and losing 17-16 at home, winning 6-5 and 18-13 in a semifinal in two 2020 trips to the city but losing 22-12 at home, winning 32-8 at home and 24-3 away in 2021 but losing 16-5 in a Memorial Park semi, and last year winning 41-18 and 54-3 (semis) at home and losing 20-17 in a Challenge Shield fixture at the Country Club.
Taihape, as expected, proved too strong for winless McCarthy Transport Ruapehu last weekend, scoring seven tries in a 41-7 victory to wrap up the Northern Whanganui sub-union domestic title.
Kaierau, winners of the championship first-round Paul Mitchell Cup and Barracks Bar $500 voucher, have scored 139 points and conceded 95 in five games this season for an average match score of 28-19.
Border’s record is 130 for and 69 against (average 26-14) and Taihape 118 for and 65 conceded (average 24-13).
Fourth-placed Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist, off to Waverley on Saturday, have played one game fewer, scoring 85 and conceding 91 (average score 21-23), and Ruapehu, who have the bye this weekend, have an average score of 16-47 (82 for and 234 against).
Although Marist played better than the 24-15 first-round score at
Spriggens Park would indicate, the city-siders will find Border a lot harder to beat at Dallison Park.
Kaierau pushed Marist around in a 43-5 one-way fixture and Border did the same to Kaierau a week later.
Border have only dropped five of 25 matches against Marist since 2011 with the greens victorious only once at Dallison Park — 27-25 to lift the Challenge Shield in 2019 — with Border winning the return game 46-0 in Whanganui.
Battle for club champion crown
Taihape, the champion Whanganui union club for the past two years, are currently locked at the top with Kaierau at the halfway stage of the 2023 season.
They each have 36 points in the Weekes Cup competition, which is based on championship points gained during the qualifying rounds in the Tasman Tanning Premier and
Senior grades.
Previously all afternoon rugby, down to fifth grade, was included in the competition but the lower grades have not operated for many years. The points are counted from one team in each grade.
Since the turn of the century, Marist (2000-01-02-07-08-17-18) and Ruapehu (2006-09-10-11-13-14-15) have each won the trophy seven times, Kaierau (2003-04-05-20) four times, Taihape three (2019-21-22), and Border (2016) and Pirates (2012) once each.
After six of 11 senior qualifying rounds and five of eight Premier rounds this year, Kaierau and Taihape each have 36 points, Marist 33, Hunterville and Utiku OB (senior grade only) 21 each, and Border 19.
Seniors wide open
With only six points separating the leading seven clubs midway through the qualifying series, the 2023 12-team Whanganui Senior club championship is developing into a battle royale.
The top two sides going into last weekend’s sixth round both suffered narrow defeats — unbeaten defending champions Ali Arc Logistics Marist Celtic lost the Stihl Shop Wanganui Challenge Shield 36-32 away to Bennett’s Taihape, and Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau were beaten 22-20 at home by Kelso Hunterville.
Celtic, however, retain the competition lead by four points from Taihape while Kaierau, unbeaten after the first four rounds, drop to fourth place following two defeats in the past fortnight.
Kaierau are locked in a four-team bracket, five points behind Celtic, while Hunterville, nine-times champions since 2007, have joined the 21-point foursome after winning at the Devon Road Country Club.
Tāmata Hauhā Rātana took visiting bottom-placed Border apart 88-5, after leading 50-5 at halftime, before the teams agreed to call the game off early in deteriorating conditions.
Rātana, the 2020 champions, climbed from seventh to third on the points table.
The largest slide was suffered by Black Bull Liquor Pirates, who dropped from fourth to eighth as the result of a 47-25 loss to Utiku Old Boys at Memorial Park.
The current points are: Celtic 26, Taihape 22, Rātana (points differential 105) 21, Kaierau (diff 91) 21, Hunterville (diff 88) 21, Utiku OB (diff 82) 21, AGC Marist Knights 20, Pirates 17, McCrea Scanning Counties 10, JJ Walters Asphalt Marton 4, Castlecliff Club Mustangs (diff -277) and Border (diff -362) 0.
The senior spotlight will be on Memorial Park this weekend when second-placed Taihape defends the Stihl Shield against third-positioned Rā tana.
Jack O’Leary leads MVP race
Talented Marist back Jack O’Leary leads the Barracks Bar MVP series at the halfway stage in the Premier grade qualifying series.
O’Leary has been awarded 10 points by opposing teams and holds a four-point lead over Kaierau goalkicking first five-eighths Sheldon Pakinga, in-form Border centre Alekesio Vakarorogo — who has scored four tries this year — and Taihape lock Peter Travis Hay Horton.
Ruapehu midfielder Keaton Norling rounds off the leading MVP players with five points.
All five Premier clubs are represented in the current leading award contenders.
Last year Kaierau halfback Caleb Gray won the top MVP award ahead o Marist prop Keightley Watson.