CLUB RUGBY - Waipu winding up for big finish to contest

For a moment it looked as if Waipu might not have the ammunition to stride into the championship final for the second year running this season, then Kevin Lewis started to unveil his masterplan.
The veteran coach, who must rank as one of the most experienced campaigners in the province, is now poised to guide his team into the semifinals in the sort of form that saw them rocket to the front of the field at the start of the season.
But just when it looked as if Lewis had it all set up for the business end of the campaign, he has been hit with a couple of key injury concerns.
On Saturday, as Waipu brushed a one-dimensional Kamo outfit aside 45-5, Lewis lost his captain and lock Greg Betham with a broken hand.
Lewis had already reshuffled his tight five after Northland squad members Brad Taylor and Bronson Murray were plucked away for representative duty and is still waiting for veteran Aaron Hollis to return as well.
But if Lewis is worried he certainly doesn't show it. He has a singleminded focus when it comes to his Waipu team that has grunted through the season after assembling for fitness training in December.
After the eyecatching start, Waipu seems to be emerging from a mid-season slumber.
The title is now tantalisingly close.
"We have not let a lot of points through all season which is a good sign and the work we did to keep Kamo out, even though they didn't show us much, was pretty pleasing as well," Lewis said.
"It takes a while getting combinations right and things working the way we hope.
"We were frustrated by injuries for a while there, but then that's rugby, but the confidence and self belief is showing now," he said.
"The big thing for us is that, if we are going to be finalists, we have to play like finalists every week now."
On Saturday Waipu won handsomely but were unconvincing at scrum time, even weak in that particular aspect, but still had the backline skill to scurry in for seven tries.
They hardly had to deal with champagne rugby from Kamo though who simply had no experience out wide and not enough pace in the loose forwards to compete.
For the moment Waipu are still facing the prospect of playing a semifinal on foreign turf too, probably against Wellsford, who will offer much more resistance.
Wellsford kept their top-of-the-table spot by hammering Hora Hora 41-5, the combined force of midfield back Toutai Telefoni and loose forwards Regan Haynes and Loa Tauafa too much for Hora Hora to handle.
Mid Northern, who had the bye on Saturday, hold down second spot, and the semifinal hosting rights but are in a tussle with Hikurangi who handled the conditions well to beat the Western Sharks 41-3 on Saturday.
Moerewa went on the rampage as they walloped Marist 65-12, Hare Ngawati and Maurice Cooper the standouts in that game.
Hikurangi still have that aura of confidence, Mid Northern are a little unpredictable and Wellsford are not the threat they were with seven representative players now out of the team.
But Waipu might just be the team to watch closely with a whiff of the silverware now permeating every game.