Horowhenua-Kāpiti now rank outsiders with TAB

Horowhenua-Kapiti vice-captain Aaron Lahmert looks to offload against Mid Canterbury.

Horowhenua-Kāpiti have had a difficult start to the Heartland championship this season and loom as potential wooden spooners.

The young team - which had welcomed 18 debutantes already this year - sits at the bottom of the table after three games having suffered losses to South Canterbury (48-14), West Coast (48-28) and Mid Canterbury (43-14).

Those results have seen their title hopes slump, according to the New Zealand TAB, which now has Horowhenua-Kāpiti quoted as joint 61-to-one outsiders along with Buller as the least likely team to win the competition, after an opening price of $12.

South Canterbury are raging hot favourites at odds of $1.50 to win their third Meads Cup title in succession, ahead of North Otago ($4.50) and Thames Valley ($6.50).

It won’t get any easier for Horowhenua-Kāpiti this weekend at Levin Domain when they host a useful Wairarapa Bush team that beat Poverty Bay 30-24 last weekend.

Horowhenua-Kapiti number eight Callum Watts-Pointer offloads in the Heartland competition match against Mid Canterbury.

The last time Horowhenua-Kāpiti felt the wooden spoon was in 2011, winning just one of eight games. In 2012 and 2013 the team finished 11th in the 12-team competition. In 2016, Horowhenua-Kāpiti won two of their eight matches.

The best result for Horowhenua-Kāpiti under the current Heartland competition format, was a second-placing, in 2017, losing the Meads Cup final 30-14 to Whanganui, while in 2018 the team won the Lochore Cup for finishing fifth.

Kick-off this weekend between Horowhenua-Kāpiti and Wairarapa Bush is at the earlier start time of 2pm.

NZ TAB odds - Outright winner: South Canterbury $1.50, North Otago $4.50, Thames Valley $6.50, West Coast $8, Whanganui $12, East Coast $15, Mid Canterbury $21, King Country $31, Poverty Bay $31, Wairarapa Bush $41, Buller $61, Horowhenua-Kāpiti $61.

- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air.