Rugby: Promotion race down to 3

The race for promotion out of the Heartland rugby championship is seemingly down to three teams.

A couple of surprises marked the completion of the first phase of the season yesterday, which will have implications for two unions in particular.

Missing from the leading six teams who advance to the Meads Cup top-tier competition beginning next week are North Otago and King Country.

Those two unions are among five who have expressed interest to the New Zealand Rugby Union in gaining promotion to the newly-created "division one" competition next year. That competition is also to include the four demoted teams from the Air NZ Cup.

North Otago and King Country now have virtually no chance of promotion as they must contest the second-tier Lochore Cup, leaving a three-way battle in the Meads Cup between the other aspirants for promotion - Wanganui, Mid Canterbury and South Canterbury.

Also in the Meads Cup are Poverty Bay - who topped group B ahead of Mid Canterbury and South Canterbury - along with Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wairarapa Bush, who trailled group A winners Wanganui.

Defending champions Wanganui topped group A after a comprehensive 33-9 home defeat of West Coast.

Up just 8-6 at halftime, the hosts came charging home in a performance that sends an imposing warning to other teams.

Wanganui will take a small lead into the Meads Cup as points from the first five matches are carried forward.

Horowhenua-Kapiti also won comfortably, accounting for winless East Coast 44-3 in Ruatoria while Wairarapa Bush accounted for Buller 28-13 in Masterton to sneak past West Coast into third place.

The group B matches were closer, most notably in the death-or-glory match at Ashburton where Mid Canterbury held on to beat North Otago 30-21.

Both sides scored three tries but three unanswered penalties to Kieran Lindsay made the difference for Mid Canterbury in a result that left their southern neighbours desperately disappointed.

North Otago reached the Meads Cup semifinals last year and have been impressive in averaging 29 points a game this year.

They were pipped for third place by South Canterbury, who also lost today, 23-13 to a King Country side who have left their run too late.

Poverty Bay struggled to overcome winless Thames Valley in Paeroa, eventually prevailing 29-22 after trailing 7-9 at halftime.

Heartland Championship results

Pool A

At Masterton: Wairarapa Bush 28 (Junior Togia 2, Nick Risdon tries; Byron Karaitiana 3 pen, 2 con) Buller 13 (Jamie Paul try; Marcus Taylor 2 pen, con). Halftime: 6-6.

At Wanganui: Wanganui 33 (Fraser Middleton, Cameron Crowley, Shaun McDonough, Waisake Ratunideuba tries; Denning Tyrell 3 pen, con; Ricky Alabaster con) West Coast 9 (Jason Merrett 3 pen). Halftime: 8-6.

At Ruatoria: Horowhenua-Kapiti 44 (Tino Lealoagata, Na Ioane, Robin Hirini, Thomas Ati-Ilaoa, Peter Woodward, Michael Papps, James Proctor 3 con, pen) East Coast 3 (Nathan Langford pen). Halftime 15-3.

Pool B

At Paeroa: Poverty Bay 29 (Kahu Tamatea 2, Josh Mahoni, Brent Ingram tries; Scott Leighton 3 con, pen) Thames Valley 22 (Joe Murray try; David Harrison con, 5 pen). Halftime: 7-9.

At Timaru: King Country 23 (Richard Deed, Jared Murrell, Brian Mansfield tries; Murrell pen, con, Kane Quinlan pen) South Canterbury 13. Halftime: 20-3

At Ashburton: Mid Canterbury 30 (Jack Umaga, Josh Lindsay, Hayden Dwyer tries; Kieran Lindsay 3 pen, 3 con) North Otago 21 (Duncan Naude, Lemi Masoe tries, penalty try; Daniel Waenga 3 con). Halftime: 14-7.

- NZPA