Whanganui’s title hopes in the balance TALKING RUGBY

• Author: John B Phillips
• Published date: 27 October 2021
• Publication title: Whanganui Midweek

They are now third equal, along with Mid Canterbury, going into the seventh and penultimate qualifying round of the championship.

With unbeaten South Canterbury (30 points) and Thames Valley (28) looking almost certain to contest the Meads Cup final, the battle is on to find the next two unions to play off for the Lochore Cup.

There is also a trophy at stake between the fifth and sixth qualifiers.

Whanganui have a differential of 96 points, North Otago 24 and Mid Canterbury 19, but if teams are level at the end of qualifying, the victors of the game(s) between those sides decide the qualifiers.

Points differential swings into operation if more than two sides are level pegging. This year Mid Canterbury have beaten Whanganui 24-17 and North Otago beat Mid Canterbury 32-20.

A Whanganui win on Saturday would bring differential into the equation if the three unions end up with the same number of championship points.

This weekend, top-of-the-table South Canterbury (maximum 30 points) host neighbours Mid Canterbury (20), and in the last qualifying round travel to Greymouth to meet seventh equal West Coast (17).

The Swamp Foxes (28) have two home matches in Te Aroha — bottom-slotted King Country (1) and Whanganui (20).

North Otago (20) meet King Country in the last round and Mid Canterbury are home to second-to-bottom Buller (7 points).

Clearly, the pressure is on the Butcher Boys after the disappointing 14-28 loss to South Canterbury last Saturday in Timaru.

Conceding four converted tries for a halftime deficit of 28-0 is the second equal worst start by Whanganui in 144 Heartland matches since 2006.

The 2013 reps, under different coaches, also conceded 28 first-spell points against Buller in a Lochore Cup semifinal at Cooks Gardens before losing 30-40.

Most points conceded during the opening 40 minutes were 31 to Mid Canterbury at Ashburton in 2017, with the hosts finally scrambling home 40-39.

The Butcher Boys have only had two hat-tricks scored against them in 14 years of Heartland rugby — by Chris Taiahoa (North Otago) in a 15-27 loss at Oamaru in 2013, and by South Canterbury’s Sireli Buliruarua last weekend in his union’s 1100th first-class match.

Consistent performers

Saturday brings together locally the only two unions who have qualified for semifinals in every Heartland championship since the series started in 2006.

Mid Canterbury were also in that category before slipping to second to bottom (11th) in the last competition in 2019.

Whanganui, with six...