Rugby
The Moose Kapene Memorial Cup reaches the halfway mark this weekend when round 5 gets under way.
Bush Sports will be rested after sitting out the bye last weekend and will want to add to their tally of one win but will be pushed all the way by a Pioneer side who recorded eight tries in their demolition of Carterton last weekend. The fact Pioneer were playing away from their Jeans St base appeared of no consequence as their free-running backline cut loose and ran in all eight tries.
For their part, Bush Sports have found scoring points difficult and hardly need reminding that Pioneer half back Joe Thompson has scored more points (41) than the whole of the Bush Sports side (35). Form says it is difficult to see anything other than Pioneer continuing their push towards retaining the Kapene Cup.
East Coast host Marist at Whareama. The Coasties were pinged for infringements around the ruck and maul when they recorded their first loss of the season last weekend and will be keen to bounce back and maintain their push towards lifting the Kapene Cup since they lie second on the table with 14 points. They host a Marist side who let a halftime lead slip against Eketahuna last Saturday. Marist were more than competitive up front then but will need to improve ball retention to stand any chance of grabbing the points and limit the scoring opportunities of a Coast's backline which includes Byron Karaitiana and the elusive Nick Olson.