Two unbeaten sides will have their early season runs halted when week three of the Senior A club rugby season kicks-off on Saturday.
The round promises some mouth-watering match-ups with the top four teams playing off against each other in a bid to maintain their momentum.
Spectators can expect plenty of fireworks
in this week's Times-Age feature match as Gladstone head to Jean Street to battle it out with Pioneer.
In what shapes as a torrid forward battle, the home side will be hoping the sun stays out and the grounds stay firm so they can run the large Gladstone pack around the park.
The visitors in turn will certainly look to utilise their powerful tight-five around the fringes through the pick and go before unleashing their versatile loose trio in support of the back-line.
Already Gladstone has proved they're up to the task this year, comfortably dispatching Carterton before grinding out a 25-15 win over Marist last week.
Pioneer, in turn, secured a confidence-boosting win against heavyweights Eketehuna first up and followed that with a six-try rout of East Coast at Whareama.
In the southern derby Greytown/Tuhirangi will look to secure bragging rights when they host neighbouring Martinborough.
Playing at Tuhirangi, the home side will welcome back a host of players who missed last week's dreadful, though victorious, encounter against Masterton Red Star.
Greytown have not been truly tested in the opening two weeks and will need to lift their intensity a couple of notches if they are to dispatch a buoyant Martinborough side still celebrating their win over defending champions Carterton.
The attacking duel between livewire Martinborough winger Tommy Te Kani ? three tries in two games - and promising Greytown fullback Jamie Boyle will without a doubt offer plenty of excitement.
In the rounds other matches, Eketahuna at home should be too daunting a task for winless Red Star while Carterton will need to pick itself up after self-destructing last week if they are to challenge Marist at Memorial Park.
And finally, East Coast has home ground advantage in their quest to notch their first points of the season when they tackle fellow under performers Puketoi.
