Do or die for Kaierau against Marist in Premier rugby

Kaierau's Stu Brosnahan will likely switch from the forwards back to the wing tomorrow for the must-win game with Marist at the Country Club.

From the top to the bottom of tomorrow's Tasman Tanning Premier draw, everything is on the line.

The Grand Hotel Challenge Shield, the threadbare hopes of a championship playoff spot, the desire for a home semifinal coupled with the fear of missing out entirely, and even for the bottom two teams there is the sense of pride for a rare victory.

All four teams currently in the semifinal positions, which have inverted themselves virtually every weekend of this second round with some shock results, will now face each other, with knowledge for at least two of them that a defeat would give away precious ground to one of the two desperate sides meeting at the Kaierau Country Club.

Finally reinforced and hitting their straps after the decisive win over Waverley Harvesting Border last weekend, Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist drive up Devon Rd with the knowledge they are meeting a Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau playing for their 2018 season – here and now.

The roles could have easily been reversed if Kaierau had survived on April 21 at Spriggens Park, denying Marist's last minute 29-28 comeback win.

But after a laundry list of backline injuries saw Marist having to squeak-by in a couple of games, they have come right just when it counts.

Kaierau, on the other hand, even facing lower tier Settler's Honey Ngamatapouri last weekend, have had no luck with their backs.

First-five Viliamu Alauni is out, while the tribulations of the talented Ethan Robinson took another twist, literally, as he aggravated his ankle injury just running water onto the field at Ngamatapouri.

Coach Denis Edwards is working on an emergency plan of taking workhorse No8 Taui Fa'alili out of the pack and putting him back in the midfield, where he hasn't played in several seasons, while also returning more recent openside flanker Stu Brosnahan to the wing despite his good form in the loose forwards.

In addition to the sore bodies, regular winger Karl Pascoe is overseas while prop Tai Pulemafaga has those pesky father commitments for his child's birthday.

The good news is lock Josh Lane is 100 per cent while flanker Cade Robinson is back after skipping Ngamatapouri for the All Blacks vs France test in Wellington.

"We do have to wait and see tonight, with want we front up with," Edwards said yesterday.

"It's not a good time to have injuries but we've got them. Oh, to be in Marist's position.

"I'll have to see who's not limping."

Currently six points behind Marist and a further three behind the wounded Border in fourth place, Kaierau need the win, and another home victory over Byford's Readimix Taihape, to maintain their long shot at getting in through the back door for the playoffs, making tomorrow sudden death.

"It is for us, Marist would currently want to win to get up in the Top 4," said Edwards.

"We have to get the points, whereas Marist have got two [other] games left."

Playing on another Old Timers day, which will hopefully bring a boisterous crowd, Edwards is confident his starting XV will be able to hang with Marist – it's just a matter of having the legs to hang on, which they didn't do last time but did accomplish in their upset of McCarthy's Transport Ruapehu in May.

"You're only as good as your bench and I've said that all along.

"Just so long as we're in there at the end with a chance."

Whomever wins will be eyeing up the other games, as Border get a shot at redemption and a chance to regain the Challenge Shield when table leaders Ruapehu come to Dallison Park.

The mountain men picked up a 22-19 win at Rochfort Park back in April and have been steady since their Kaierau loss, but Border's MO this season has always been to bounce back from a loss with an impressive performance, and coach Ross Williams will want to leave nothing to chance, even if Border do have the bottom two teams in their remaining matches.

It is no less important back at Spriggens Park as previous table leaders and former Shield holders Taihape, stung by Ruapehu last weekend, will arrive to face a Black Bull Liquor Pirates team who know they could just about make themselves safe in these next two games.

Pirates picked up a good 23-17 road win over Taihape in April, with the visitors facing a tough finish to the round robin with three Whanganui town matches remaining.

And up in Ngamatapouri, the home team will face a winless Harvey Round Motors Ratana, who will be painfully aware this is their last, best shot at a victory in 2018, given they came the closest in the 31-17 defeat in their previous encounter in Marton.