Tension will be running high in the penultimate round of qualifying matches in the Wairarapa-Bush Tui Cup premier division rugby competition tomorrow.
All eight teams still have a mathematical chance of making it through to the semifinals, meaning all results will be of the utmost importance.
Martinborough lead the points table with 16, followed by Greytown 13, Gladstone 11, East Coast 10, Pioneer 9, Eketahuna 8, Carterton 6 and Bush Sports 3.
Four points are allocated for a win and two for a draw and bonus points are available for scoring four or more tries and losing by seven points or less.
A brief preview of tomorrow's games:
Carterton v GreytownCarterton at 2.30pm: Will this be the last hurrah for Carterton, last year's beaten finalists or has their deserved win over Pioneer last weekend given them the boost to make a late charge for a semifinal berth? And can Greytown sustain the bold start they have made to their Tui Cup campaign? Plenty of questions to be answered here and, quite frankly, no certainty about any of them. Carterton brilliantly used the ball-winning skills in lineouts and general play of the McFadzean brothers, Lachie and John, against Pioneer and they will want a repeat performance as Greytown appear to have more attacking potential in the backs. Carterton has home advantage and that may be enough to swing it their way.
Pioneer v MartinboroughMemorial Park at 2.30pm: Martinborough are about as close as you could get to having sealed a semifinal berth and this is their chance to nail it. They will be well aware of Pioneer's depleted stocks, particularly in the backline, and will be keen to give the likes of flying winger Nathan Hunt every opportunity to stretch his legs. At the same time, it would be folly to discount Kapene Cup winners Pioneer who are sure to play their free-flowing style of rugby and in the likes of Tipine Haira and Damien Kamo-Paku have backs capable of creating tries out of nothing. Martinborough deserve to start favourites but are no home run.
Eketahuna v East CoastEketahuna at 2.30pm: A couple of weeks ago, Eketahuna looked down and out but two successive wins have suddenly thrust them into semifinal calculations. They will start underdogs but if classy loose forwards Johan van Vliet and Rupeni Tamani can upset the rhythm of the much-vaunted East Coast backs anything could happen. To negate those two and allow their rearguard the chance to regularly strut their stuff, East Coast will need to dominate the tighter aspects of the forward game. How successful they are in that respect will have a big bearing on the result of this one. We'll plump for East Coast but without any conviction.
Gladstone v Bush SportsGladstone at 2.30pm: The pressure is all on Gladstone. A loss and the defending Tui Cup champions could be battling to make the semis. Bush Sports, for their part, are already on the ropes and with that in mind can afford to throw caution to the wind from a tactical viewpoint. Any team with that mindset is often difficult to counter and if Gladstone don't stay composed and structured, they could find themselves in trouble. With experienced campaigner Andrew McLean calling the shots up front, and likewise the under-rated John Bailey in the backs, Gladstone should have the nous to do what they have to do to secure the win ... should being the operative word.
The closeness of the premier division competition means next week's matches will also be hugely influential as to who makes the semis.
The draw is: Carterton v Eketahuna at Carterton, East Coast v Bush Sports at Whareama, Greytown v Pioneer at Greytown and Martinborough v Gladstone at Martinborough.