Bay take on table-toppers

Poverty Bay back Taine Aupouri gets past a North Otago defender on his way to scoring a try. Aupouri will reprise his role of centre this weekend against a team that has been undefeated since the Lochore Cup semifinal in 2019, South Canterbury. The teams will meet at Paddy’s Park, Patutahi with kick off at 2pm. Picture by Paul Rickard

Poverty Bay have their toughest game of the season when they take on undefeated South Canterbury at Paddy’s Park, Patutahi, tomorrow.

And unless things go their way, it could also be their last game of the year.

The final round-robin matches of rugby’s Heartland Championship will be played around the country tomorrow.

Civil Project Solutions Poverty Bay Wekas last weekend bounced back from their five-game losing streak, beating Horowhenua Kāpiti 31-17 in Levin.

That pushed them up to eighth place — on 15 points — but the results of other Week 8 matches could push them out of Lochore Cup contention.

The win was a morale boost ahead of a weekend with plenty of barriers to Poverty Bay’s progress.

Their immediate threats are Mid Canterbury, King Country and Buller.

The Bay need Wairarapa Bush — sixth on 17 points — to beat Mid Canterbury — ninth on 14 — and stop them from scoring a bonus-point try.

Buller are 10th on 13 points and are up against King Country, 11th on 11 points. A win by either side could also knock the Bay out of Lochore Cup contention.

But the Bay have their own mountain to climb.

They need to beat top-of-the-table South Canterbury (35 points) or score enough tries to earn a bonus point.

It’s not an ideal scenario, but they still have a shot.

Standout performances for Poverty Bay this season have come from all over the park, from the play of fullback Ricardo Patricio to that of flanker Keanu Taumata, and from the storming runs by No.8 Stuart Leach to the attacks on the defensive line by second five-eighth Jacob Leaf.

A lot is at stake in tomorrow’s game, and Poverty Bay head coach Miah Nikora is well aware of the threat they face.

“We know they’re a big physical side,” Nikora said.

“In their forward pack they have some massive men . . . big, physical ball-running guys. If they get momentum, they will be really hard to stop.”

South Canterbury have not dropped a game since the Lochore Cup semifinal against Buller in 2019. They have a record Heartland winning streak of 28 wins.

“We are up against a high-quality team; it’s a big challenge but one we are looking forward to,” Nikora said.

“We need to be well connected around our defence and tackle quality. It has to be at a really high standard for us to be successful in this game.

“The more we can deny them the ball, the better it will for us.”

It’s hard to find a strategy to counter a squad as strong and well-drilled as South Canterbury.

“There aren’t many areas to exploit with the quality of the players and coaching they’ve got,” Nikora said.

“But once we have pinpointed a vulnerability, we will try to execute as best as we can.”

The squad make-up is likely to be similar to that of last week, with wing Taine Aupouri staying at centre and Jonty Stewart still at first-five. Jacob Leaf will remain in the No.12 jersey and halfback Ra Broughton will be vice-captain. Hooker Shayde Skudder will lead his team into their toughest battle of the season yet.