Rugby: Battle on for home semi berth

Pirates winger Clive Stowers will be among many players backing up for their club teams tomorrow, following the midweek Town vs Country match. Photo/File

It could be considered the calm before the storm tomorrow as the Tasman Tanning Premier competition has reached its penultimate round, with all the focus on which team can grab the remaining home semifinal berth in the next eight days.

With defending champions McCarthy's Ruapehu on their bye week, comfortably clear at the top of the ladder, that leaves a four-point spread with Waverley Harvesting Border, Integrity Motors Pirates and Taihape pushing for the home playoff, while also burying some personal demons along the way against tomorrow's opposition.

There is also the factor that all of the semifinal bound teams will have their top players backing up from Wednesday night's rescheduled Wanganui trial match at Cooks Gardens.

Ordinarily, Pirates facing the eighth-placed team on Spriggens Park would present a straight-forward assignment, but not when that team is Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau.

In a season marked by upsets, Kaierau's 25-20 win at the Country Club on May 10 remains arguably the largest.

Led by first-five Jordan Farrington and double tryscoring winger Stu Brosnahan, they snapped a six-game losing streak by toppling the unbeaten Pirates only a week removed from them defeating Ruapehu in Ohakune.

Kaierau also beat Pirates in Round 1 last year and always lift themselves against their cross-town neighbours - their motivation at least in part due to Pirates having so many of their former teammates, who joined coach Phillip Morris in the big defection two seasons ago.

Taihape face similar prospects against their fellow Memorial Park tenants Utiku Old Boys.

Despite it being fourth vs ninth, the derby is always a keenly fought contest for town bragging rights, and Taihape were frustrated on May 10 that Utiku were able to hold them to 15-3 in a dour game.

Taihape first-five Tom Wells missed the midweek trial with a slight back injury and his potential absence would be a massive blow.

It's not personal for Border tomorrow but it is an important piece of business a $500 voucher in fact if they can do what proved beyond them twice in 2014 and hang on to the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield for a successful first defence.

On an unprecedented third reign this season after the Shield has bounced around so many clubs, Border need full points at Dallison Park against Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist, given they have final weekend bye and saw their second spot slip to third under similar circumstances at the end of Round 1.

It is another big derby game at the Ratana Paa as the home team hosts their cousins Speirs Food Marton.

Harvey Round Motors Ratana have learned not to take their fellow Rangitikei sub-union club lightly in recent seasons.