Whanganui facing fierce opposition on Saturday

Whanganui's Craig Clare could be a deciding factor in this weekend's clash with Mid Canterbury in Ashburton. Photo / Lewis Gardner

Although Steelform Whanganui are off to a dream start to top the table after the first qualifying round in the 2021 Bunnings Warehouse rugby championship, the Butcher Boys could face stern opposition from Mid Canterbury in Ashburton on Saturday.
Mid Canterbury, the 2013-14 Meads Cup winners, may have dramatically slipped to 11th placing in the most recent championship in 2019, but last weekend's impressive 53-25 away victory over King Country in Te Kuiti indicates the southern squad could be a title contender this year.

Whanganui may hold a 14-wins-to-six Heartland record over Mid Canterbury, with an average winning score of 28-19, but the South Islanders traditionally field a well-balanced team, despite the slip to the penultimate rung of the ladder in 2019.
In last season's limited rep programme, the Ashburton reps were unbeaten, downing 2019 Meads Cup holders North Otago 30-7 (home) and 35-17 (away) and Buller 41-17, as well as drawing 31-all with close neighbours South Canterbury in Timaru.

This year there was a 27-52 loss against Canterbury B and a 41-19 victory over Ellesmere as a leadup to beating King Country by 28 points at Te Kuiti last Saturday.
Thus the two teams scoring the most points, and holding the top two 30-17 here in the inaugural 2006 competition positions from the opening day of the 2021 championship, clash at the Ashburton Showgrounds on Saturday.

The hosts will field a sound forward pack that includes impressive No. 8 Seta Koroitamana, a 60-cap, mobile loosie who has scored 165 points for his union, and solid 30-game prop Adam Williamson. Fullback Nathan McCloy is a handy goal-kicker.

Mid Canterbury had eight times qualified for the Meads Cup playoffs between 2006 and 2015, only to lose to Whanganui in six of them including two successive finals – 27-12 at Cooks Gardens in 2008 and 34-19 in 2009 in at Christchurch (Ashburton was not available because of a clash with the A&P Show weekend).
The Butcher Boys also eliminated the union in four Meads semis – 30-17 in the inaugural championship in 2006 and 32-22 in 2011, both at Cooks Gardens, and 18-12 in 2007 and 26-11 in 2015 at Ashburton.
It will be Whanganui's first outing at the showgrounds since a nail-biting 40-39 win by the hosts in 2017.

The Butcher Boys outscored Mid Canterbury six tries to four that day, but Jared Percival kicked 20 points for the eventual winners, Craig Clare managing 14 for the unlucky visitors.
Last time the two unions met it was 30-12 here to Whanganui in 2018 when Clare scored half of his side's points.
The 37-year-old, who has 312 points in his 32 outings for the blue and blacks, could again play a key role in Saturday's fixture.
Although Whanganui was most impressive for most of last weekend's big win over Poverty Bay, there were a few untidy movements, with stray passes a problem at times, but there is a ton of potential in the squad and a win away would augur well for some tougher games to come.

It was a pity Covid-19 restrictions limited the spectator attendance, but hopefully that problem will be overcome before Whanganui defends the Bruce Steel Memorial Cup against Wairarapa-Bush, who lost 42-10 at home against Thames Valley last weekend, here on Saturday week.
With the Whanganui Development XV beating King Country 27-12 in Te Kuiti and the Under-18s beating Wellington Maoris 45-5 at Spriggens Park, it was a winning treble for local rep squads last weekend.

Record victory

Whanganui's record 65-12 romp over Poverty Bay last weekend was the seventh time the Butcher Boys have topped a half-century of Heartland points against the Gisborne union, and the 26th 50-plus score against opposing teams in the championship series that started in 2006.

The previous highest score against the Bay, which has suffered seven half-century-plus Heartland defeats against Whanganui, was 58-13 at Gisborne in 2011.
An 80-3 thumping of King Country in a one-sided Meads Memorial Log fixture in 2017 is the record score of the 17 50-plus scores recorded at Cooks Gardens.

The Butcher Boys have reached 50-plus scores seven times against Poverty Bay teams, four times each versus East Coast and King Country, three each against Wairarapa-Bush and West Coast, twice each playing Horiowhenua and Thames Valley and once against South Canterbury.

Whanganui's top score away from home is 74-8 over East Coast at Ruatoria in 2016.
The team's most Heartland tries have been 13 v the King Country Rams in the 2017 record win in 2017 and 12 in the 76-8 victory v Horowhenua-Kapiti in 2011, both on Cooks Gardens.

Highest Whanganui scores in the pre-Heartland era were 81-9 v West Coast in 1993 and 81-12 v Buller a year later with 11 tries in each match at Spriggens Park, Lachlan Harding (1993) and Guy Lennox (1994) each kicking 10 conversions and two penalties in the games.

Heaviest Whanganui losses have been 88-5 v Taranaki at Hawera and 86-3 v Waikato in a Ranfurly Shield challenge at Tokoroa, both in 2000 with 14 tries conceded each time, with the highest losses locally being 84-0 (12 tries) v Taranaki in 1995, and 80-11 (15 tries) v Wellington in 1991, both at Spriggens Park.

Whanganui's highest Heartland victories including number of tries scored
80-3 - v King Country, Cooks Gardens 2017 (13)
79-7 - v Wairarapa-Bush, Cooks Gardens 2017 (10)
76-8 - v Horowhenua-Kapiti, Cooks Gardens 2011 (12)
74-6 - v West Coast, Cooks Gardens 2016 (10)
74-8 - v East Coast, Ruatoria 2016 (10)
71-6 - v East Coast, Cooks Gardens 2008 (11)
69-12 - v West Coast, Greymouth 2011 (10)
67-24 - v East Coast, Cooks Gardens 2019 (11)
65-12 - v Poverty Bay, Cooks Gardens 2021 (9)
65-18 - v Thames Valley, Cooks Gardens 2006 (11)
60-0 - v Thames Valley, Cooks Gardens 2016 (8)
59-14 - v South Canterbury, Cooks Gardens 2009 (9)
58-13 - v Poverty Bay. Gisborne 2011 (8)
58-26 - v Wairarapa-Bush, Cooks Gardens 2016 (7)
57-19 - v King Country, Cooks Gardens 2019 (9)
57-27 - v Horowhenua-Kapiti, Cooks Gardens 2018 (9)
57-35 - v Wairarapa-Bush, Masterton (8)
56-0 - v Poverty Bay, Cooks Gardens 2009 (8)
56-10 - v East Coast, Tolaga Bay 2018 (8)
55-23 - v Poverty Bay, Cooks Gardens 2015 (7)
53-0 - v Poverty Bay, Gisborne 2018 (8)
52-7 - v West Coast, Greymouth 2008 (8)
52-22 - v King Country, Taupo 2016 (8)
52-30 - v Poverty Bay, Gisborne 2016 (7)
50-19 - v King Country, Cooks Gardens 2011 (7)
50-34 - v Poverty Bay,Cooks Gardens 2010 (7)