Club Rugby: Teams set to nip at leader

Mid Western skipper Adam Clarke looked pleased his side had got the job done with a 32-3 bonus point win over Marist yesterday.
But below the surface he is concerned that Mid Western may once again be the pacesetter for the competition and the other teams will close the gap with them in the lead-up to playoffs.
Clarke said there's still plenty of time left and with Northland players soon to leave the competition, depth and commitment will be be tested.
"The competition starts now, really, and if we don't step up, we're not going to feature in those finals ... we've set ourselves up well but anyone can beat anyone else in this competition and we have to carry on and maintain our standards when a player drops out," he said.
The Maungakaramea club were beaten finalists in 2009 and semifinalists last year and desperately want to win some silverware this year. They will lose playmaker Ash Moeke to the Taniwha but with Clarke deciding to concentrate on club football this season, the classy Mid Western backline should be able to operate without him.
The Mid Western backs were the difference between the teams at Kensington Park yesterday with the Marist forwards more than holding their own against an unusually flat Mid Western pack.
"Our forwards have played well recently but I thought they let themselves down a bit today, and in the end the scoreboard was pretty flattering today," Clarke said.
Marist had a taste of what life will be like without their Northland reps with Cam Eyre and Dan Prior out with injuries.
"We definitely missed Cam and Dan Prior and if you don't have the ball and you're chasing the game against a good backline like Mid Western has, then you're going to be in trouble without your best loosies," Marist coach Donny Stevenson said.
Marist competed well in the forwards, particularly in the set-pieces and were well in the game until a Dan McCully try four minutes before the break gave Mid Western a 13-3 half-time lead.
Mid Western played the game at pace in the second half and soon began to dominate possession. They unleashed their backs more often and looked to have scored when flanker Ben Berridge went over in the 50th minute but he was judged to have stuck a foot into touch.
Marist then overcooked the lineout, throwing the ball back to Mid Western and Ash Moeke chipped the ball to unmarked winger Samuel Saxon to score and take the score out to 20-3, after the conversion sailed over. The home side had little choice but to chase the game. Although the forwards made progress the backs struggled to make the gain line.
When the ball was turned over by the Marist backs midway through the spell, James Merry found Adam Clarke who ran 40m to the line to seal the match. McCully scored his second try 10 minutes from time from another well-executed backline move to earn the visitors a bonus point.
Southern Districts Premier Grade: Hora Hora 43 Otamatea 0, Kamo 43 Old Boys 5, Marist 3 Mid Western 32, Wellsford 36 Hikurangi 19, Western Sharks 14 Mid Northern 26.