With Nick Harding possibly missing tomorrow's grand final, young Border backs Tom Symes and Grayson Tihema take on added responsibilities
There no denying it feels more special.
Two proud country clubs, each playing under their current guises due to a past which includes amalgamations, and with neither having held the Tasman Tanning Premiership in any incarnation since the mid-1990s and early 1980s respectively.
But if either favourites Waverley Harvesting Border or contender PGG Wrightson/Ballance Taihape try to stagger onto Cooks Gardens tomorrow carrying that historic baggage with them, they would be handing victory to their opposition and they know it.
Both opposing coaches Ross Williams and Kerry Whale want to live in the now - Whale especially if he looks back to the sides' last encounter at Dallison Park where his smaller forward pack got overrun and the backs lost their way in the 53-8 mauling.
"We'll be trying to do something different," Whale said.
"That was a day of mistakes and it will be about minimising it. They worked on our mistakes.
"Their bench strength is a big part of it. They've got international players where their other players that would be starters are reserves.
"We're one [win] each. We got a pasting last time [but] if they sit back and think that's going to be the same, they're in for a surprise."
He will look to captain Tremaine Gilbert to stand up and be counted against Border's big and aggressive forwards including Cole Baldwin, Tietie Tuimauga, Sam Madams, Gavin Thornbury, Ranato Tikosolomone and Kieran Hussey - who could form the backbone of a Steelform Wanganui pack.
If there was ever a day for Ritchie Iorns, Timi Teepa, Dylan Maloney and Hamish Bennett - all new to the Cooks Gardens environment - to step up, then this is it.
"We'll take that enthusiasm down with us. If we lose, we lose, if we don't, we don't," said Whale, who played in the last final the Huia club were involved with in the 1980s where they and townmates Utiku travelled to Spriggens Park for the final.
"I'm pleased Wanganui [RFU] play it at Cooks Gardens, gives it a real special-ness.
"There will be very few of our guys have played on it."
Part of the buildup will be the team following a Huia tradition and going to the marae on Saturday morning before heading down State Highway 1, while their return home that evening will wind up at the old Taihape Pirates clubrooms for either celebration or commiseration.
"That's to try and evidence the fact that our club is part of two clubs and we have two histories."
The team also watched footage of the Otago club semifinal which Whale's son Ben played in last weekend and where his Harbour team, the favourites, lost to the unfancied Dunedin side 21-20.
Interestingly for a parallel, Harbour scored four tries to two but missed all goal kicks, and Border could have that chink in their armour with the status of leading points scorer Nick Harding unknown after he came off in the opening minutes of last weekend's semifinal.
For Taihape, there's four players who could handle the kicker role - Tom Wells, Taylor Transom, and Luke or Dane Whale - with a competition planned between them after training last night.
"That's in Tom's capable hands, he'll sort out the best option," said Kerry Whale.
"You've got to nail your kicks."
Like he has all year, Williams will not leave any contingency to chance.
Whale noted wryly that Border trained on Cooks Gardens on Tuesday night, although the weather was a downpour, but Williams said this was not about gamesmanship.
"There's a small part about [seeing] Cooks, but it's more an opportunity to reward our Wanganui [based] boys who travel three times per week.
"We've had a calm week.
"I've always said we're a process-driven team. We haven't spoken about the outcome, just the process."
Nor does Williams expect a blowout similar to the Waverley game last month - he simply expects Taihape to kick smartly for territory and use the width of the park if opportunity presents itself.
"We're going to try a couple of things, we feel they will try too - smaller pack.
"We've got a bit of a catch-cry - 'better than before'.
"We're certainly not walking on to Cooks at 2.30pm thinking [we'll score] 50 points."
Williams said the decision on Harding will be left "as late as we can without disrupting others".
But with young Grayson Tihema proving a capable fullback behind forwards with momentum, plus the speedster Kaveni Dabenaise working off the brains trust of James Forsythe and Fraser Middleton, Border will look to rack up enough tries to take goal kicks out of the equation.
One factor Williams does not want to overplay will be his Border veteran's desire after the disappointment of last year's final with Black Bull Liquor Pirates.
Not turning up in the first 60 minutes, by which point they were 20-0 down, Border only played rugby in the last quarter and nearly stole the match, with a last-gasp penalty barely missing to deny the comeback at 20-19.
"We haven't talked about last year, we sort of moved on," said Williams.
"Dare I say, those players that went through it will be better for the experience."
After both clubs got their supporters out in force for their home semifinals, expect the buses to be packed and banners to unfurl when they travel to neutral ground in the city tomorrow.
"Not only is it good for our communities, but two teams to have a crack, two teams that haven't won it for a long time," said Williams.
BORDER AND TAIHAPE IN 2016
Regular Season
Border: Played 14; Won 13: Lost 1: Points for: 719; Points against: 216.
Taihape: Played 14; Won 12; Lost 2; Points for: 476; Points against 237.
Semifinals
Border bt Ruapehu 34-15 in Waverley.
Taihape bt Marist 46-10 in Taihape.
Head to Head
April 30: Taihape bt Border 36-30 in Taihape.
June 25: Border bt Taihape 53-8 in Waverley.