One thing has become crystal clear ... no result can be taken for granted.Wairarapa-Bush will be treading carefully when they run on to Owen Delaney Park in Taupo tomorrow to do battle with King Country in a Heartland championship rugby fixture.
With the imposing record of four wins and one loss, and sitting at the top of the competition table, the pundits will be installing Wairarapa-Bush as firm favourites to inflict another defeat on a King Country side with just the one win to show from their five games.
But if there is one thing which has become crystal clear about this year's Heartland competition though, it is that no result can be taken for granted - as was proved last weekend when the two sides then at the top of the points table, Wanganui and South Canterbury, lost to East Coast and West Coast respectively.
A scenario which played into Wairarapa-Bush's hands, with their 31-6 win over Mid-Canterbury rocketing them from third place into the competition lead.
So congested is the points situation that two-thirds of the 12 Heartland teams still have a decent show of making it into the semis of the premier section, the Meads Cup, in four weeks' time. It is possible if Wairarapa-Bush lose tomorrow they will drop out of the top four.
King Country at home are a difficult beast to control. They have hosted just the two Heartland games so far this season, losing to North Otago 30-31 in their opening match and two weeks later beating Horowhenua -Kapiti 32-10. And while they have lost all four of their other games, the scores have been relatively close, 21-27 against West Coast, 19-31 against Buller and, last weekend, 18-28 against Thames Valley.
With just seven competition points to show for their efforts, there is now no chance of King Country qualifying for the Meads Cup play-offs. However, they still have plenty to play for, as they remain well in the reckoning for the Lochore Cup semis, which will be contested by the four teams sitting fifth to eighth on the points table at the end of the qualifying rounds.
The ruggedness of their pack has long been a source of pride for King Country fans but, while Wairarapa-Bush can anticipate some fiery exchanges up front, the word from up north is this King Country side contains some useful talent in the backs, and consequently they are playing a more attacking brand of rugby than might be expected.
Impressive as their win-loss record is, it is fair to say Wairarapa-Bush have shown deficiencies in their last couple of games which will need to be rectified if their challenge for a place in the Meads Cup semis is to be sustained. Against both Wanganui and Mid-Canterbury the forwards were guilty of turning over hard-won possession in the mauls, and ball protection in tackle situations also left something to be desired. In the Mid-Canterbury match, in particular, the backs made life too easy for the opposition by "telegraphing" their attacking moves.
There are at least a couple of guaranteed talking points in the starting line-up named by Wairarapa-Bush head coach Mark Rutene and assistant Paddy Gough for tomorrow's game.
Jonathan Fuimaono and Wilba Davies have been chosen ahead of skipper Kurt Simmonds at prop, while Byron Karaitiana will be at first-five and regular No10 Glen Walters at fullback.
Nobody has embodied the aggressive approach adopted by Wairarapa-Bush through their successful Heartland campaign more than Simmonds, particularly in the areas of scrummaging and close quarter defence, while Walters has made a huge impression as an astute option-taker, elusive runner and accurate kicker. He is a handy fullback but his skills do appear more suited to the first-five role.
Rutene and Gough have also decided to go with James Goodger on the blindside flank and Tom Fleming at No8, a move which relegates another in-form player in Jim Temo to the reserves bench. There will be some discussion too on the merits of Nick Olson being placed on the wing ahead of Nathan Hunt, Inia Katia getting the nod over Matt O'Connor at halfback, and Jamie Hunt edging out Richard Puddy at hooker.
The Wairarapa-Bush team are:
Glen Walters, Nick Olson, Jesse McGilvary, Titapu Pairama-Lewington, Cameron Hayton, Byron Karaitiana, Inia Katia, Tom Fleming, Johan van Vliet (captain), Brandon Young, Andrew McLean, James Goodger, Jonathan Fuimaono, Jamie Hunt, Wilba Davies. Reserves: Matt O'Connor, Nathan Hunt, Michael Te Whare, Kurt Simmonds, Richard Puddy, Johnnie McFadzean, Jim Temo.