KEY POINTS:
North Harbour Stadium, 2.35 pm today
It's dance-of-the-desperates time at North Harbour Stadium this afternoon. Auckland head into their derby match with local rivals Harbour desperately hoping to keep their teetering season alive.
Harbour, already looking very much like a corpse and with a dead-duck coach,
should be equally desperate to kill the Aucklanders off.
Once a jewel in the crown of the domestic season, today's contest between two injury-hit, All Black-denuded teams possesses the unmistakable whiff of a non-event.
A lack of interest meant the Harbour union even had to cancel the traditional pre-match luncheon.
Auckland coach Shane Howarth admitted the build-up had been strangely low-key for a fixture that was once guaranteed to provide a good measure of blood and thunder.
Howarth spent the early part of the week helping his young side pick up their bottom lips after last week's Ranfurly Shield drubbing by Wellington and the latter part trying to restoke their fires ahead of what is a must-win match for the defending champions.
"The boys were pretty devastated," Howarth said. "Getting them back up Monday and Tuesday was quite big. You could see they were down. You never like losing the Shield but it is gone now so we'll just concentrate on making the finals."
Howarth has made just one change to the team that started against Wellington, with Charlie Faumuina promoted to the starting line-up in place of the injured Paea Fa'anunu.
On-loan prop Tevita Mailau has been recalled from Northland to bolster the bench, while Nick White has switched to loosehead to accommodate Faumuina.
With Daniel Braid (ankle) and Joe Rokocoko (hamstring) still on the injured list and the province's All Blacks still on leave, Howarth admitted he had little option but to stick with the team that lost 27-0 to Wellington.
"There is no real scope for massive change and I'm just trying to get a bit of cohesion."
An MRI scan on Braid's injured ankle revealed ligament damage that may well end his season and quite possibly his Auckland career. The openside flanker has said he is tempted by the prospect of playing one more Super 14 season under Pat Lam but there are suggestions he will head to Europe sooner rather than later.
Their lack of finishing once again saw Auckland's backs cop much of the blame for last week's defeat but the team's cause certainly wasn't helped by a scrum that was obliterated by Wellington's experienced pack.
"We are going to need to improve on that if we are going to be any hope of going any further in the competition," forwards coach Mike Casey said.
Harbour's scrum has also struggled this season, so neither side looks to have a significant advantage at set-piece time.
As part of the effort to rebuild Auckland's once again waning confidence, they were spared reliving the worst aspects of last week's defeat.
"We had a good look at the Wellington game but the only video I showed [the players] was the first 12 minutes, to show that we are good enough to compete," Howarth said. "We just have to get excited about finishing. That is a huge theme with us this week. If we create opportunities we have got to score. If we don't we are in trouble."
Scoring is not something that has come easy to Auckland, who have managed just 13 tries in eight games - a figure matched by also-rans Counties Manukau and Manawatu.
They also have the fewest bonus-points in the competition, having claimed just the one from a four-try victory over Bay of Plenty.
They head into the match ninth, level on points with Otago and Tasman but behind on points differential and needing to win their remaining two matches to sneak into the playoffs.
"This is season-defining, this week, Howarth said.
"If we lose this we are out."
Harbour have recalled fit-again wing Viliame Waqaseduadua but there is concern over Rudi Wulf, who limped off in the first half of last weekend's defeat by Northland. Wulf has been bracketed at centre and wing.
Helensville's Ray Alo comes into the side at second five-eighths.
NORTH HARBOUR
Jack McPhee
V. Waqaseduadua
Tuitavake/Wulf
Ray Alo
York/Wulf
Gopperth (c)
Chris Smylie
Viliame Maafu
Malakai Ravulo
Chris Smith
Bernie Upton
Anthony Boric
Michael Reid
James Hinchco
James Afoa
AUCKLAND
Jamie Helleur
Watisoni Lotawa
Ben Atiga (c)
Benson Stanley
David Smith
Isaia Toeava
Taniela Moa
Peter Saili
Onosa'i Auva'a
Dean Budd
Jay Williams
Stan Haukinima
Charlie Faumuina
Tom McCartney
Nick White
North Harbour: James Parsons, Sam Biddles, Martin Purdy, Robbie Colhoun, Matt France, Josh York/Jon Elrick, Jona Tuitoga/Tom Chamberlain
Auckland: Pauliasi Manu, Tevita Mailau, Anthony Elisala, Chris Lowrey, Grayson Hart, Winston Stanley, Simon Munro