Carterton face moment of truth

Defending champions Carterton will face their moment of truth when they play Marist in a Wairarapa-Bush senior first division rugby match at Carterton tomorrow.
After a horror start which saw them lose their first three preliminary round matches, Carterton have turned their season around by winning their last six matches in a row but three of those victories have come against teams which are now playing at second division level.
The quality of opposition offered by Marist winner of their last eight games should be a notch above what the maroons have met as they have fought their way back into championship contention and tomorrow will provide a good insight as to whether they are capable of grabbing the overall spoils again in 2007.
Marist will travel into enemy territory in a buoyant frame of mind after their last minute win over previously unbeaten Gladstone last weekend.
Trailing 20-0 just after halftime they were on the ropes and seemingly ready to receive the knockout punch but a mixture of them lifting their effort and Gladstone relaxing theirs saw them come back from the dead.
Probably the most encouraging aspect of that effort for Marist was that they did not rely as they have so often on the skills of experienced inside backs Patrick Rimene and Nathan Couch to snare the win.
This time it was their forwards who called the tune with skipper Corey Reid and powerful No.8 Joe Nuku leading the way while in the backs the danger men were strong-running centre Phil Aporo and winger Luke Kershaw, whose try right at the game's end meant he became the most acclaimed individual on the paddock.
Interestingly enough Nuku, Aporo and Kershaw have not yet been part of the Wairarapa-Bush squad for their non-championship games this season and all three could be worth a close look in that regard.
Well as the Marist forwards played in the second half of that match though, the betting is that this is still the area which Carterton will target tomorrow.
The return of national divisional team skipper Joe Harwood to the front row is a huge boon to them as he is the epitome of those who lead by example while Tomasi Kedarabuka will be expected to rule the roost at lineout time and Reuben Daysh will spearhead a rugged but somewhat under-rated loose trio.
Carterton's backs don't have the sheer attacking brilliance of Marist but the inside combination of Justin Lett and Nathan Sanson have the kicking and running skills to keep their pack on the front foot, Lance Stevenson is very adept at taking the ball up in midfield and Jono Hurley another who must be close to Wairarapa-Bush selection is a fullback always willing to chance his arm on the counter attack.
Hurley's goal kicking skills are also a plus but with Marist having Rimene to call on there that battle should come out about even-stevens.
Who then to win? Well, the last time the two teams met Marist got home but only by three points, 13-10. Again it should be a close go, close enough to suggest a draw would be no surprise.
Gladstone and Pioneer will both be desperate to pick up maximum points from their match at Gladstone as, after losing last weekend, a further defeat would severely dent their chances of claiming a semi-final spot.
No doubt Gladstone will have learnt their lesson after blowing such a big lead against Marist with coach Steve Thompson sure to have impressed upon them the message that rugby is an 80-minute game, not 45.
The first half of that Memorial Park clash did provide a classic illustration though why Gladstone went through the preliminary round without defeat. Their forwards were tradesman-like in everything they did and the backs complemented them with their structure and organisation.
In that sort of form again -but this time for 80 minutes it's difficult to imagine Pioneer upsetting them as they simply don't have the all-round strength of their opposition. In Pioneer's favour, however, is that with victory so crucial to them they are likely to throw caution to the wind and that's when they can be at their most dangerous.
Eketahuna had a convincing 28-10 win over Greytown-Tuhirangi in their preliminary round match but it will surprise if they have it so easy when they travel to Greytown tomorrow.
Greytown-Tuhirangi did enough in their narrow loss to Carterton last Saturday to actually give themselves a fair chance of turning the tables on this occasion. National divisional rep Dylan Higgison, Carl Petersen, Brett Rudman and Norm Henricksen are tough cookies up front and they will relish the opportunity to take on an Eketahuna pack which could contain at least five current Wairarapa-Bush squad members. And in Mike Hollis they have a halfback who is making a huge impression on both the club and rep scene.
Eketahuna too have no shortage of physicality in their pack with front rowers Brendan Walker and Shane Temana needing big games to keep themselves in the frame for Heartland selection. Their confrontation with Higgison and Rudman at scrum time should be a cracker in more ways than one.
Word is that Eketahuna will have their main playmaker in their backline, Simanu Simanu, back for this game and that is an obvious plus and the rumour mill also has national divisional rep Hamish McKenzie returning to the club after his South Island stint. If Simanu and McKenzie were both on deck their combined skills would probably allow speedy wing Joji Tamani every opportunity to show his paces on the wing, and Greytown is a venue where he has starred in the past.
Feature match at Memorial Park tomorrow will be the senior seconds encounter between Masterton Red Star and Puketoi. Their preliminary round resulted in a relatively comfortable win to Puketoi but Masterton Red Star have been strengthened by the acquisition of two English locks, Tom Robinson and Gavin Jones, since then and it would be no shock to see a different outcome this time.
The other senior seconds game has East Coast at home to Martinborough and while the latter have the better overall form this season the prospects of a win to the Coasters certainly can't be ignored.