Wanganui will break a 29-year losing spell if it can manage a victory over the Taranaki Development team at Hawera on Saturday.
The non-first class match by Steelform Wanganui is a dress rehearsal before a Mitre 10 Ranfurly Shield challenge against Waikato on Saturday week and is part of the preparation
to defend the Meads Cup in the Heartland championship which starts in a month's time, on Saturday, August 27.
Last time Wanganui beat any Taranaki senior side was 14-9 at Spriggens Park in the WRFU's official centenary year fixture on September 19, 1987.
That same season Wanganui also last won away against the amber and blacks - 9-7 at Hawera in the annual Anzac Day match - but lost the local Queen's Birthday game 44-4.
In the Centennial clash Bruce Hansen and Terry Pokia scored tries with Lee Turnbull kicking two penalties .
The Wanganui side comprised Lee Turnbull; Martin O'Connell, Tasi Su'a, Jimmy Barker; Kevin Chase, Kerry O'Hara; Whetu Mareikura; Peter Kemp; Kerry Whale, Peter Stratton, Trevor Olney, Bruce Hansen ; Kevin Willis, Jim Murphy and Tery Pokia with Wanganui's Colin Broadhead the referee.
Earlier in the year Wanganui, selected by Ken George, won the away Anzac Day game (played on April 26) when first five Dion Maua kicked two penalties and a field goal.
That team comprised Tommy Fearn; Solomon Su'a, Hapai Kaua, Tasi Su'a; Wiremu Maunsell, Dion Maua; Fraser Horrocks; Darrell Young; Kerry Whale, Trevor Olney, Tony Davis, Gordon Hansen; Kevin Willis, Dean Addenbrooke, Terry Pokia.
Apart from a 26-all draw in a 1996 night game at Cooks Gardens Taranaki has reigned supreme against the Butcher Boys with only three first-class fixtures during the new millennium. Taranaki won by a record 88-5 at Hawera in a 2000 away Queen's Birthday game, 38-15 in the final Queen' Birthday match at Cooks Gardens in 2001 and 51-7 in a 2012 Ranfurly Shield fixture in New Plymouth.
There has been a Taranaki clean sweep in eight non first class games since the turn of the century - 77-19 by a Taranaki XV (Waverley 2003), 37-7 by Taranaki Country (Cooks Gardens 2004), 62-17 by Taranaki B in Waverley and 56-29 by a Taranaki XV at Eltham (both in 2005), 20-12 by Taranaki B in New Plymouth and 47-11 at Cooks Gardens (both in 2006), 39-14 by the Taranaki 2nd XV (Spriggens Park 2007) and 34-22 by Taranaki B (Waverley 2008).
A feature of Saturday's resumption of early season pre-championship games between the two unions after an eight-year break is that the Jones Brothers' Shield will be at stake.
Three Jones Brothers, Wanganui HSOB members, played for Wanganui - first five Peter (47 games between 1950-61), hooker Bevan (20 games 1949-54) and halfback Graeme (nine times in 1958).
There will be two matches at Hawera on Saturday with the seniors at 2.45 and the Wanganui Development team at 1pm.
South Taranaki sides Waverley Harvesting Border and Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri carried off the 2016 Tasman Tanning Wanganui union-wide club championship titles on a thrilling finals day at Cooks Gardens last Saturday with more than 2000 excited fans in attendance.
With six different clubs represented on the day the four hours of action produced some very exciting rugby with the premier title depending on a penalty kick that decided the championship - the ball bouncing back off the goal post into the field of play which enabled Border to pip PGG Wrightson/Ballance Taihape 17-16.
Ironically a narrowly missed last minute failed penalty shot a year earlier deprived Border of de-throning Black Bull Pirates of the championship, Pirates winning by a single point.
It was the seventh time in nine years that the final has been decided by four of fewer points - Ruapehu 13 v Marist 10 2008, Marist 12 v Kaierau 8 in 2010, Ratana 17 v Kaierau 15 in 2011, Ruapehu 16 v Border 13 in 2012, Ruapehu 16 v Pirates 13 in 2013 and Pirates 20 v Border 19 last season.
There was nothing between Border and Taihape, who had beaten each other during qualifying rounds. It was a titanic battle that went right down to the wire and entertained the large crowd.
Ngamatapouri, as expected, won the senior championship with a 37-26 victory in a game that saw Speirs Food Marton come back from a 22-16 half time deficit to lead 26-22. The introduction of injured Fijian "express train" winger Samu Kubunavanua late in the game, when he scored two tries, was the trump card for Ngamatapouri.
It was Kubunavanua, of course, who scored the country's most exciting try last season.
Both Ngamatapouri and Marton have indicated their intention to seek premier status next season.
The Players of the Day winners were Border Irish lock Gavin Thornbury and Ngamatapouri first five Isireli Baleitavuku.
Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau rounded off the club's 125th jubilee year by beating Pirates 24-13 in the premier consolation final.
There will be more than just a local passing interest in King Country's challenge for the Ranfurly Shield in Matamata on Saturday, just a week before Wanganui's scheduled bid for the trophy in Cambridge.
For Waikato, who raced in 13 tries in an 83-13 romp over the Thames Valley Swamp Foxes in Paeroa at Queen's Birthday Weekend, Saturday will be a second defence of the trophy since lifting it 36-30 off Hawke's Bay in the last 2015 challenge at Napier's McLean Park.
It will be the 19th time that King Country has challenged for The Log and the fifth time against Waikato, previous losses being 18-8 in 1952, 22-9 in 1981, 45-10 in 1994 and 76-0 in 1998 - all in Hamilton. King Country's other challenges have been against Auckland (5) - 17-3 1958, 14-6 1966, 29-3 1980, 28-0 1988 at Te Kuiti and 45-15 1992 in Taupo.
Canterbury (2) - 36-0 1933 and 33-0 1985.
Hawke's Bay (1) - 19-16 1969.
North Auckland (2) - 16-6 1971 and 21-6 1979.
Taranaki (3) - 15-11 1958, 21-0 1964 and 66-16 in 2012 at Inglewood.
King Country qualified for a challenge this year after winning the Heartland Lochore Cup championship last season.
There are no major surprises in the naming of a 26-strong Steelform Wanganui squad to prepare for the Ranfurly Shield challenge against Waikato on August 6.
There are 16 current or former reps in the running for the warm-up game against the Taranaki Development XV at Hawera on Saturday.
The selectors have stressed that changes to the squad are possible before the Mitre 10 Heartland campaign squad is finalised.
Wanganui has home games against Hawkes Bay Saracens (August 13th) and Wairarapa-Bush (August 20th) before the opening championship match against West Coast at Cooks Gardens on August 27.
There is a talented young Irish under-20 World Cup first five arriving in Wanganui soon and the selectors still have to decide whether they need any loan or Player of Origin squad members.
Three of the key backs of the 2015 champion Meads Cup squad could come into consideration - Stephen Perofeta and Trinity Spooner- Neera (both in Taranaki) and Poasa Waqanibau (in Canterbury). They would come in very handy if not required by their present unions for rep teams.
Newcomers in the Ranfurly Shield training squad are forwards Hamish Mellow, Tietie Tuimauga and Gavin Thornbury (Border), Campbell Hart and Jamie Hughes (Ruapehu) and backs Craig Clare (Ruapehu), Kaveni Dabonaise (Border), Cyrus Paringatai (Taihape) and Te Rangatira Waitokia (Metro Colts).
Former reps included are prop Karl Parker (Ruapehu) and loose forward Tremaine Gilbert (Taihape).
Border fullback Nick Harding, a 2012 rep, and 2015 NZ Heartland rep loose forward Bryn Hudson (Ngamatapouri) were not considered at present because of injury.
Last year's reps missing are backs Perofeta, Spooner-Neera, Waqanibau, Zyon Hekenui and Williams Short (not in the union) and forwards Dan Fitzgerald, Kamipeli Latu, Jon Smyth and Brett Turner (out of the union), Fraser Hammond (not playing club rugby) and Tawhio Gupwell (injured). Steelie Koro is included in a strong Wanganui Development squad that includes former reps Kieran Hussey, Troy Brown and Jaye Flaws.
The Shield squad comprises eight from Border, six from Ruapehu, three each from Taihape and Ngamatapouri, two each for Kaierau and Marist and one each from Ratana and Metropolitan Colts.