Cluttered Points Table Ensures Close Finish In Hardham Cup

The coaches been reaching for their calculators across the training fields of the Hardham Cup this week, busily adding up the possible semi-final scenarios for their teams in a fortnight's time from now. What they see is a cluttered points table with the five contenders who are currently occupying places second through to sixth separated by just three points, none of whom are guaranteed a place in the playoffs.

With two rounds to play only Tawa who have an eight-point lead to the chasing pack appear to be assured of their top four spot and seventh placed Johnsonville can still make the semi-finals if they win their last two games and other results fall in their favour.

This all adds up to an exciting round six set of matches, where desperation and drama will go hand in hand across all four venues this weekend. Leaders Tawa host Northern United B at Lyndhurst Park, Johnsonville play Avalon at Helston Park, the Wests Roosters travel to Maoribank Park to meet Rimutaka and Wainuiomata and Marist St. Pat's B square of at Evans Bay Park.

Probably the team with the most to gain but also the most to lose over the final fortnight of regular season play is Avalon, who can still get earn a home semi-final at Fraser Park if they win their last two games, but equally could be shut out of playoff reckoning altogether if they drop one or both of there last two fixtures. Their round six opponent Johnsonville loom as the major threat for their and the Wests Roosters chances - not just for the playoffs but also for promotion-relegation battle that could come into play if Johnsonville prevail over Avalon and the Roosters are defeated by Rimutaka.

Wests probably scored the most important of their four victories in 2008 last week when they scraped past MSP B 10-7 courtesy of a late match winning try, but they are not safe yet from the dreaded relegation zone and are sure to be pushed all the way by a plucky Rimutaka who have lost their last four games by an average margin of only 6 points. Meanwhile In the round's other game, Tawa should be too strong for Norths B at home.

Its also tight in the Jubilee Cup, where the stakes at high at Kilbirnie Park between Poneke and Upper Hutt and at the Polo Ground between Oriental Rongotai and Hutt Old Boys Marist with both these games directly influencing the semi-final chances of all these four teams. Petone host Norths with the winner set to join MSP in the playoffs, who in turn will be gunning for a home semi-final against bottom placed Old Boys-University at the Basin Reserve.

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It's women's rugby finals day at Fraser Park, with the Women's Premier Division 2 final between Marist St. Pat's and Oriental-Rongotai at 11.30am and the Premier One Victoria Tavern Division 1 final between Northern United and Old Boys-University at 1.15pm. Both matches are on the No.1 ground.??