NIGHT RUGBY: Marist centre Marek Willis (right) and his team will take on Border this evening in the annual night game before the start of duck shooting
IT IS A city v country theme across the region tomorrow and tonight for the penultimate weekend of the first round of Tasman Tanning Premier competition.
With ducks in their sights tomorrow morning, Waverley Harvesting Border have different kinds of targets lined up for tonight in an important clash with Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist, as the annual night fixture and the South Taranaki club's junior rugby fundraiser kicks off at 6.45pm.
Border, stung to have lost the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield to PGG Wrightson/Balance Taihape at Memorial Park - who took the match dead serious by flying key No8 Tremaine Gilbert back from his work commitments in Dunedin - will be mindful of not losing more ground to upcoming opponent Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau.
Kaierau, now narrowly third on the table, are approaching a big month of games, starting with the trip to Ohakune tomorrow to face a somewhat unknown quantity in McCarthy's Transport Ruapehu, depending on how much the self-coaching side is getting back into the swing of things after their hugely disrupted preseason.
For Kaierau coach Denis Edwards, it does not matter if certain Ruapehu players remain doubtful starters or under injury clouds.
"Historically, and in this round, Ruapehu are going to be hard to beat at home.
"Part of my angst is going away [and] I've still got kids who could play in this [Metro] Colts team.
"It's getting over the mindset and going up to Ruapehu and beating them on their home soil."
Of concern are loss of key inside backs with two halfbacks out including veteran Josh Edwards, while first-five Areta Lama is currently in Auckland and a 'maybe' for tomorrow, and livewire centre Kameli Kuruyabaki can't get off his Saturday night work shift.
This will test the depth and the desire of the young guys - players like prop Jack Yarrall, the former hooker, and hooker Joe Edwards, the former flanker, who both at 20-years-old shoulder a lot of burden. Stu Brosnahan will likely slot into the starting backline to cover the absences.
Denis Edwards, knowing the teams sitting 5th-7th on the table could well be sleeping giants, even if that belief flies in the face of current form, wants to win at least one of the next two games heading into the second round - and Kaierau's 125th Jubilee celebration - to really consolidate their good start.
"The next round of games for all the clubs will be important - cement certain clubs in that Top 4, or if Pirates or Utiku win, it's the impetus to get up to that Top 4.
"At the start of the year, our aim for the first round was to make it into the Top 6. The second round was to improve on that and make it into the Top 4."
For Ruapehu player/coach Andrew Evans, he knows his team will lift above their current 2-3 record if they want it more than Kaierau on the day.
Evans, who has done everything from coaching to covering fullback and goal kicking, had to miss training this week due to a Hamilton conference, but said the senior leadership are doing well considering they started 2016 well behind the 8-ball, missing key players and without anyone at the helm.
"Pete [Rowe]'s been really good, and so has George [Williams] - they take it from myself, and Campbell [Hart]'s been helping out.
"We're trying to be more than one dimensional. It makes it easier on all of us."
Reinforcements coming up from the Senior team continue to fill the gaps, while Rowe's contributions as a player will hopefully resume in a month's time.
One success story has been new winger William King, the English footballer who was game MVP in the home win over Pirates last weekend in his first ever season of rugby.
"He's taken on leaps and bounds, he's still got a lot to learn and I mean a lot. But he probably saved the game for us last weekend," said Evans.
Another star was second five Sid Henry who ran the backline, but is under an injury cloud tomorrow.
But before Saturday's excursion, all eyes will be on the floodlights at Dallison Park this evening for the Border vs Marist kickoff to Duck Shooting Weekend.
With Kieran Hussey still overseas and now veteran No8 Ray Stark injured, Border coach Ross Williams was pleased to welcome back winger Tom Symes and forward Dylan Pearce, although his vital captain Fraser Middleton is 50-50 with a leg injury, coming off in the first two minutes of the loss to Taihape.
"We had opportunities to win it, but they had opportunities to extend their lead. Last week hurt," Williams said.
"We're just not near full strength. That develops depth and we learnt a lot from a few guys [against Taihape].
"We want to put in a performance we're proud of.
"I hope there will be a good crowd, hope to see a lot of the Marist supporters there too.
"We both like to play rugby, we're not negative teams.
"Marist are developing a bit of a rock star backline."
Key to that is Marist's Steelie Koro - Williams coached him in the Wanganui Development team last season and knows how crucial he is to the city team's hopes.
Border have an enviable record in the night game in recent seasons, having beaten Kaierau (twice) and Marton by handy margins.
But again, Williams plays down their reputation as twilight specialists, given Koro and several of the Marist backs have experience under floodlights.
"We've probably played teams in the past that haven't had that quality."
In the other games tomorrow, Taihape will eyeing up another five points against Harvey Round Motors Ratana in the Pa, while Black Bull Liquor Pirates host Utiku Old Boys in Spriggens Park with both teams desperate to stay in the race for fourth spot.