It's mate versus mate tomorrow when Rotoiti take on Whakarewarewa in Round 5 of the premier Baywide club rugby tomorrow.
The Wayne Ormond-coached side is unbeaten this season but come up against Whaka who will be keen to exact revenge for a 25-12 loss in the preseason Banner Round grand-final in March.
Rotoiti have gone from strength to strength this season averaging 41 points a game, while only giving away about 16 points a match.
But they are up against a Kevin Lee-coached side which has scored 129 points in four games, which has used its superior fitness to over come its opponents this season.
Rotoiti captain Jesse Acton said both sides are good mates off the field but come game time there was no love lost between the two teams.
The match at Puarenga Park should draw a big crowd for both sides but the visitors will be feeling they have a good shot at toppling Whaka who have struggled to show any real combinations in the previous four rounds.
Rotoiti have shown the ability to attack from anywhere on the field and their young forward pack have shown they are not intimidated by whoever is put in front of them. Both teams had good wins last weekend with Whaka having their best win of the season, a 44-10 over Rangataua at Te Ariki Park. While Rotoiti gave a solid performance to beat Opotiki 30-20 at home.
In other matches in the round, Te Puke Sports another team which is unbeaten in the premier division, should have no trouble dispatching Rangataua when they host them at Murray Salt Stadium. The home side has been ruthless the last couple of weeks averaging 78.5 points while only giving away a total of 12 points.
Mount Maunganui who had a 44-17 win over Greerton Marist last week, will have to watch out for a backlash from Waikite when they meet at Blake Park. Waikite were on the end of an embarrassing 89-5 hiding from Te Puke and will be keen to get their season back on track, after three losses from four games.
Tauranga Sports, host Greerton Marist at Tauranga Domain. The home side has looked solid the past two weeks and has two wins, a loss and a draw so far this season. Greerton are yet to put a tick in the win column this season and may struggle to do it tomorrow. Sports Opotiki, host Te Puna at Princess Street Reserve tomorrow, both sides suffered losses last week and it should be an even encounter.
Meanwhile, in Division One Paroa still lead the division on 19 points and take on Whakatane Marist at Rugby Park. Paroa had a resounding 41-0 win over Reporoa last week. But they come up against a much tougher opponent in Marist who had a narrow 13-10 win over Ngongotaha, who sit second on the points table.
Ngongotaha have their second tough match in a row when they travel to Dunderdale Park to take on third on the table Te Teko, who also had a narrow 17-10 win over Poroporo in the last round.
Poroporo travel to Kuirau Park tomorrow to play Kahukura. The home side will be looking for payback after losing to Rangiuru 21-17 last weekend.
Rangiuru will be hosted by Marist St Michael's who had a convincing 31-10 win over Ruatoki at Tuhoe Park.
Despite the big loss Ruatoki will fancy their chances as they take on bottom of the table Reporoa who are winless.
Draw
Premier Round 5 (All games kick off at 2.45pm):
Te Puke Sports v Rangataua, Murray Salt Stadium; Whakarewarewa v Rotoiti, Puarenga Park; Sport Opotiki v Te Puna, Princess St Reserve; Tauranga Sports v Greerton Marist, Tauranga Domain; Mount Maunganui v Waikite, Blake Park.
Division One Round 5 (All games kick off at 2.45pm):
Kahukura v Poroporo, Kuirau Park; Marist St Michael's v Rangiuru, Marist Park; Reporoa v Ruatoki, Reporoa; Te Teko v Ngongotaha, Dunderdale Park; Whakatane v Paroa, Rugby Park.Points Table
Premier Division:
Te Puke Sports 19, Rotoiti 19, Whakarewarew 17, Sports Opotiki 12, Tauranga Sports 11, Te Puna 10, Mount Maunganui 7, Waikite 7, Greerton Marist 1, Rangataua 0.
Division One:
Paroa 19, Ngongotaha 16, Te Teko 14, Rangiuru 14, Kahukura 11, Whakatane Marist 10, Marist St Michael's 10, Poroporo 8, Ruatoki 1, Reporoa 0.