There are some cracking fixtures in store as well with the headline clashes seeing Canterbury and Tasman as well as Taranaki and Auckland square off on Saturday
Friday 22 September
Northland 13/8 | Draw 22/1 | Bay of Plenty 46/100
Bay of Plenty will be looking to keep their slim hopes of a semi-final berth alive when they take on a Northland side that are sitting near the foot of the NPC table. The visitors are currently eighth on the log and are seven points off fourth-placed Taranaki but do have a game in hand over all the sides that sit above them.
Bay of Plenty head into this one off of some decent form having won three of their last four fixtures with their only defeat in this run being last weekend’s 14-26 loss to run away competition leaders, Wellington.
The hosts for Saturday haven’t fared as well in recent weeks and head into this one off the back of two successive defeats going down 30-15 to Otago in Week 6 and 50-31 to North Harbour this past weekend.
Bay will be desperate to get the win here and keep their play-off hopes alive. can see them doing just that against a Northland side that has struggled over the past fortnight.
Verdict: Bay of Plenty
Saturday 23 September
Counties Manukau 19/100 | Draw 33/1 | Manawatu 10/3
There’s not much on the line in our next fixture with tenth-placed Counties taking on 13th-placed Manawatu. Both sides are out of the running for semi-final places which means only pride is on the line this Saturday.
Counties have actually played some solid rugby in their last three outings beating Southland 39-29, Canterbury 31-29 and then giving another good account of themselves in a 27-17 defeat to Tasman this past weekend.
Manawatu, on the other hand, head into this one off the back of three heavy defeats going down 58-19 to Tasman in Week 5, 29-48 to North Harbour in Week 7 and then 57-7 to Hawke’s Bay this past weekend.
Manawatu looked absolutely gassed last weekend and I can see them struggling again here. My money is on Counties taking it at a canter.
Verdict: Counties
Southland 3/1 | Draw 28/1 | Hawke’s Bay 2/9
Cellar-dwellers Southland have the enviable task of taking on a Hawke’s Bay side that will be hunting a big bonus point win as they sit just outside the semi-final berths at present.
The hosts have yet to win a game this term with their latest defeat being last weekend’s 29-14 loss to Canterbury. They didn’t give the Cantabs an easy time of it and made them work hard for their win. They have actually done this to a number of big guns this term so Hawke’s Bay will need to be wary.
The visitors for Saturday had a far better time of it last weekend as they hammered Manawatu 57-7. They were full of adventure during the fixture and ran in a plethora of tries. They will be looking to do the same thing again this coming Saturday.
While I can see Southland keeping things tight in the first half, I reckon they will fade in the second as Hawke’s Bay are one of the best second half sides in the ‘comp.
Verdict: Hawke’s Bay
Sunday 24 September
Canterbury 11/20 | Draw 24/1 | Tasman 11/8
There’s a huge clash next up with Canterbury and Tasman locking horns in a crucial South Island derby. The hosts currently sit pretty in second place on the table but Tasman are only a point off them in third. A win for either side is likely to seal their place in the semifinals with fourth-placed Taranaki and fifth-placed Auckland clashing later in the day.
The hosts bounced back from their shock two point defeat to Counties Manukau with a workmanlike 29-14 win over Southland. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins but Canterbury will take it at this point in the round-robin phase.
Tasman also registered a solid if not spectacular win this past weekend as they beat Counties 27-17. Counties were actually the better side during the first stanza and held the lead until a late try levelled things up with the teams heading into the break with the scores level at 10-10. Tasman upped their game in the second half scoring a handful of tries to claim a crucial victory.
I reckon home ground advantage swings this one in favour of Canterbury, although I do not think they will win by more than five pints.
Verdict: Canterbury
Taranaki 23/20 | Draw 22/1 | Auckland 4/6
The second of Sunday’s big ticket clashes sees fourth-placed Taranaki take on fifth-placed Auckland. Only two pints separate the sides on the standings and this match will have a massive bearing on who claims a semi-final berth.
Taranaki bounced back for their 18-29 defeat to a strong Tasman outfit by beating Otago 17-36 this past weekend. The bonus point victory was a vital one as it kept them in the semi-final places.They have a decent enough run into the play-offs but need to take something from this one or they may well be out of the running come next weekend’s clash with North Harbour.
Auckland saw their two-game unbeaten streak ended last weekend as they suffered an upset defeat at home to Waikato going down 12-27. It was a mammoth shock considering they had beaten arch rivals Canterbury by seve points the week prior.
While Auckland have the more stacked side, Taranaki are a very good unit. I can see the hosts taking the spoils here.
Verdict: Taranaki
Wellington 23/100 | Draw 25/1 | North Harbour 29/10
The penultimate game of the weekend sees an unbeaten Wellington outfit take on a North Harbour side that need a minor miracle to get into the semi-finals as they are seven points adrift of fourth-placed Taranaki.
The hosts for Saturday’s encounter have been a class apart this term claiming eight wins from eight starts. They were in fine fettle against this past weekend as they beat a desperate and dangerous Bay of Plenty side 14-26 away from home.
North Harbour also impressed in Week 7 as they ran in some beautiful tries on their way to beating Northland 50-31. This was their third win on the trot as they beat Waikato 39-17 in Week 5 and Manawatu 29-48 in Week 6.
I can’t see past the hosts here. They have been in terrific form ths term and will be desperate to beat their unbeaten streak going for the entirety of the round-robin phase.
Verdict: Wellington
Waikato 32/100 | Draw 24/1 | Otago 23/10
We bring proceedings to a close with something of an exhibition match as ninth-placed Waikato take on 12th-placed Otago. Neither side can qualify for the semi-finals, so it’s just pride on the line for this one.
Both sides have had poor campaigns with the hosts winning only three of their eight fixtures while the visitors have won two of their fixtures. The two sides experienced vastly contrasting fortunes in the previous round with Waikato producing one of the shocks of the campaign by beating Auckland 12-27 at Bell Park, while Otago went down 17-36 at home to Taranaki.
They are the better side this term and I can see them claiming their fourth win of the season here.
Verdict: Waikato
