Peni Nabainivalu (with ball) - currently in Fiji - is missing from the Wanganui squad this year. Photo / Bevan Conley
There are eight newcomers in the Steelform Wanganui representative extended squad to hopefully play five matches later this year.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic limited season there is a very restricted Tasman Tanning club programme and the annual Mitre 10 Heartland national competition has been wiped for 2020.
Wanganui, however, has arranged for five confirmed rep fixtures comprising first-class matches against Wairarapa-Bush, Horowhenua-Kapiti, King Country and Poverty Bay and a warm-up game against Hawke's Bay Saracens.
The Sir Colin Meads Memorial Log will be at stake against King Country and the Bruce Steel Memorial Cup against Wairarapa-Bush if Bush still holds the trophy.
Wanganui defends the Meads Log at Taumarunui on October 10 and hopefully challenge for the Steel Cup in Wanganui on October 17 if Horowhenua has not lifted the trophy before then.
The Wanganui-Horowhenua fixture is at Shannon on October 3. A date for the Horowhenua cup challenge against Wairarapa is not known at present.
An annual pre-season non first-class game against HB Saracens will be held in Napier on September 26, a weekend after the Wanganui club finals.
Wanganui will meet Poverty Bay at a neutral half-way venue – Napier's McLean Park – on October 24 as a curtain raiser to the Hawke's Bay-Manawatu Mitre 10 Cup first division fixture.
There is the possibility of a sixth game for the Butcher Boys, at home, on October 31.
The newcomers to the Wanganui squad are mid field backs Dillon Adrole (Kaierau) and Alekesio Vakarorogo (Border), loose forwards Dylan Bowater (Kaierau), Semi Vodosese (Border) and Lennox Shanks (Taihape), locks Matt Ashworth (Kaierau) and Brad O'Leary (Marist) and front rower Hadlee Hay-Horton (Taihape).
Three members of the 2017 champion Heartland squad – Kaierau lock Cade Robinson, Ratana senior grade utility back Cody Hemi and Ngamatapouri three quarter Timoci Seruwalu – return to the squad.
Seruwalu helped Horowhenua-Kapiti win a Lochore Cup and finish second to Wanganui in a Heartland final while a loan player, Hemi played eight times for Wanganui while at Collegiate School and repped for Horowhenua last season, and Robinson has returned from overseas.
Missing from the Wanganui squad which finished second to North Otago in the Meads Cup last winter are backs Peni Nabainivalu (in Fiji) and loan players Amos Pogia (Auckland) and Shai Wiperi (Manawatu) and forwards Chris Breuer and 60 rep cap Sam Madams (Border), Peter Travis Hay-Horton (Taihape), Bryn Hudson (Ngamatapouri), Raymond Salu (Kaierau), 72 rep cap Roman Tutauha (Ruapehu) and Auckland loan No 8 Ezra Fano Meleisea.
Home semis Assured
With comfortable home victories in the penultimate qualifying round of the 2020 Tasman Tanning premier championship last weekend cementing hosting rights for semifinals Border and Kaierau will be seeking Metropolitan title honours this weekend.
It is the last round of Metro (Takarangi Cup) domestic series games with top qualifiers Waverley Harvesting Border off up the Waitotara Valley to tackle bottom of the table Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri.
Considering it was 90-0 in the first round it is hard to see Ngamat posing too many problems for Border while Wanganui Car Centre is across the city to play second to bottom Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist on Spriggens Park.
Kaierau, the defending Metro champions, won the first rounder 54-0 at the Devon Road Country Club and is looking to complete a season's double for the second successive year.
Marist has managed just two scalps this season – 30-23 v Ruapehu and 28-5 v Ngamatapouri, both at home — and can't be taken for granted in what will be the team's last outing of 2020.
But Kaierau need a win to have the faintest chance of retaining the Takarangi Cup should Ngamat spring the upset of the year and somehow foil Border.
At present Border leads Kaierau 21 Metro points to 19 with Marist on six and Ngamat on five.
Border has scored 413 points this season including 68 tries with a points differential of plus 288 compared with Ngamat's 148 pts (22 tries) and a minus 306 points deficit.
Top try scorers for Border are Vereniki Tikoisolomone 10, Lindsay Horrocks 9, Craig Clare and Isaia Hooper 7 each with Timoci Seruvalu tops for Ngamat with six tries. Top points scorers for Border are Clare 59, Tikoisolomone 50, Horrock and Nick Harding 45 each.
Kaierau has scored 321 points (50 tries) and has a plus 207 points differential compared with Marist's 155 pts (20 tries) and minus 167 pts differential.
Ethan Robinson (8), Dillan Adrole and Karl Pascoe (7 each) and Ace Malo (6) head the Kaierau try scorers with Robinson sitting on 73 pts. JackYarrall has three tries for Marist.
The Northern Wanganui domestic competition, which has been dominated by McCarthy Transport Ruapehu since the turn of the century, will be decided at Memorial Park on Saturday when Byford's Readimix Taihape host Ruapehu.
Ruapehu, the defending Northern champions, has won the title l5 times since 2002 and needs to finish at least four tries ahead this weekend to retain the crown after Taihape's 45-24 (seven tries to four) first round victory at Rochfort Park.
Last season Ruapehu won both qualifying round fixtures – 8-5 at home and 24-15 away – but was upset 22-16 by Taihape at Ohakune in the cut-throat semifinals, Taihape going on to snatch an extra time 23-16 victory against Border in the thrilling final on Cooks Gardens.
This season Taihape has scored 266 pts (43 tries) with a points differential of plus 111 compared with Ruapehu's 220 pts (36 tries) and minus 131 points differential.
The major difference is that Taihape has conceded 155 pts (23 tries) and Ruapehu 351 pts (52 tries).
Ryan Karatau (6), Tiari Mumby and Dylan Gallien (5 each) head theTaihape try scoring with goal-kicker Dane Whale contributing 54 pts.
Centre Royce Trow (6) and rep forwards Campbell Hart and Gabriel Hakaraia (5 each) are Ruapehu's top try scorers.
Taihape may have better statistical figures this season but Ruapehu has a ton of determination and will be hell bent on avenging last year's unexpected home semi-finals defeat.
Although the semiinals are already decided – Border v Ruapehu and Kaierau v Taihape – the Metro and Northern domestic honours will be decided from results at the three premier venues on Saturday.
Challenge for Ratana
It has been a fine comeback season for Harvey Round Motors Ratana who face a strong Stihl Shop Wanganui Challenge Shield bid from Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau on Saturday.
Since lifting the Shield 48-17 off Utiku OB in the second round Ratana has defended the trophy six times with the toughest clash 21-12 against Ali Arc Logistics-DNA Kennels Marist Celtic.
Ratana, still to host third-placed Kaierau and then away to Marist Buffalos (ninth), look certain to go into the September 19 final at Cooks Gardens as the top qualifier, probably against currently second placed Celtic.
At present the top six sides are Ratana 38 pts, Celtic 35, Kaierau 29, Utiku OB 28, Hunterille 21 and defending champions Taihape 19.
Celtic has suffered just one loss and Kaierau two – 21-24 at home against Celtic and 17-27 away to Utiku OB – and the team will need to be in peak form to end Ratana's winning streak.
Kelso Hunterville hosts Celtic, Utiku is home to Black Bull Liquor Pirates (10th), bottom-placed Border travel to meet Bennett's Taihape, Counties (8th) play Speirs Food Marton (7th) at McNab Domain and Buffalos (ninth) have the bye.