United have impressed game after game, but the Whakarua Park cauldron will be a hurdle for them.
Hikurangi will host Uawa in the late game at Ruatoria. Hiku upped their game against last year’s winners, Tokararangi, whose players were very pleased the final whistle blew while they were ahead.
And playing at Whakarua Park always adds a dimension to Hiku’s performance. Manager Fred Haua said they were carrying injuries, although there weren’t any from the Toka game last week.
He also expected to have two extra but familiar players registered for Saturday’s game.
Uawa have been at the top of the competition for a while now.
“It’s been hard to keep it going,” co-coach Peter Crawford said.
“The guys have been feeling a bit fatigued.”
And was Hicks Bay’s achievement in keeping Uawa scoreless for the first half last week a symptom of that fatigue?
“No, we knew Hicks Bay would come at us hard — they’re our bogey team — and it was sorted in the second half.”
Any thoughts on the Hiku game?
“It will be a tough game up front, and our forwards will have to dominate the game,” Crawford said.
As well as competition points, Hiku and Uawa will play for the Chas Keelan Memorial Trophy. Chas Keelan, who passed away this year, came from a Tolaga Bay whanau but was a key player for Hiku for many years. His son Jay and grandson Karauria are playing for Hiku this year.
Over at Rangitukia, Waiapu play Tawhiti. All the teams Tawhiti have played have given them credit for turning up with a full team and playing hard during this rebuilding phase for the club. Waiapu are a tough, unyielding team so it should be a good game for spectators.
