After covering wing for the Wanganui team in their heavy defeat to Manawatu Evergreens on Wednesday night, Border's Nick Harding will play fullback against Kaierau tomorrow.
After covering wing for the Wanganui team in their heavy defeat to Manawatu Evergreens on Wednesday night, Border's Nick Harding will play fullback against Kaierau tomorrow.
Managing players will continue to be key for the top teams as the closely-contested Tasman Tanning Premier competition cannot slow down for representative duties coming into Week 14 tomorrow.
Locked together on points in the third to fifth bubble, McCarthy's Transport Ruapehu will face Black Bull Liquor Pirates at RochfortPark, with the chance for one of them to climb as high as second place, due to Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist being on the bye.
Ruapehu won the first round match 31-19 on April 15, but currently they are having to dig deep with their resources as seven of them played on Wednesday night and six of those will have to back up with Sunday training for the Ranfurly Shield game next week.
PGG Wrightson/Balance Taihape will be looking to hang onto the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield while also getting some payback when Settler's Honey Ngamatapouri come to Memorial Park, for an earlier 1pm kickoff.
Ngamatapouri came from behind to upset Taihape 31-30 for their first Premier victory in April, a loss which set Taihape back in the scramble to stay in the Top 4.
Despite squad injuries and a heavy representative committment identical to Ruapehu, competition leaders Waverley Harvesting Border will hope to improve on their surprisingly narrow 19-10 away victory in April when they take on Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau at Dallison Park.
And winless Harvey Round Motors Ratana will regard their game at the Pa against Utiku Old Boys as their best chance of the year for success, having only lost 20-10 in Taihape in April, while winning this corresponding clash last year.
