Favoured Marist under pressure

Puketoi have been the big improvers of the Wairarapa-Bush premier division rugby competition this season and they will be relishing the chance to lock horns with well-performed Marist at Memorial Park tomorrow.
It is up front where Puketoi will look to call the tune, much as Eketahuna did in their handsome victory over Marist last weekend.
In the likes of Duncan Law, Hamish Walker, Jared Bambry and Evan Small, Puketoi contain forwards who enjoy a physical confrontation and they will know that if they can deny the slippery Marist backs quality possession, they will be doing their side a huge favour.
Marist, of course, will have other ideas. Their pack was somewhat depleted against Eketahuna and it showed but they are a gutsy lot when at full strength and with mobile locks Corey Reid and James Goodger the obvious examples, they have players capable of contesting strongly in set pieces and broken play.
A close, tense game is in prospect with Marist, if only because of their more impressive form line, starting favourites, but only just.
Martinborough should boost their chances of a semifinal berth with victory over Pioneer in their match at the Park Sportsground. Pioneer's problems regarding player shortage have been well documented but they have done well to hang in there. They will lack nothing on the score of endeavour but Martinborough's greater depth should be the deciding factor.
Carterton and Masterton Red Star are set to have a whale of a battle at Carterton. The home team started the season slowly but have recovered and can again be classified a serious contender for the premier division title, as indeed are Masterton Red Star, the defending champions.
Again the struggle for forward supremacy should be a cracker and Carterton, led by old hands like Joe Harwood and Tomasi Kedrabuka, will be fancying their prospects.
It could be a different story in the backs, especially if Masterton Red Star can unleash promising youngsters Cole Pureau and Joseph Dahlberg-Paku, both of whom were so impressive in their team's narrow win over Gladstone last weekend.
East Coast will be making their way to Gladstone with some trepidation as, although Gladstone haven't exactly set the Thames on fire results-wise, they have shown themselves to have a set of forwards as well equipped as any in the competition and they won't mind if the recent spate of bad weather brings testing underfoot conditions. The harder the slog, the better for them.
East Coast certainly have more firepower in the backs and the end result will probably depend on how much usable possession comes their way.
Eketahuna are on a roll and they tackle the Greytown challenge at Greytown tomorrow. Greytown have the backs to make life difficult for their visitors if they get a steady supply of quality ball but so powerful are Eketahuna up front that is unlikely to happen.
The Eketahuna women's team might be suffering from lack of match play after having already won two of their Wellington premier division competition games this season by default but they should still have too many guns for Old Boys University in their match at Eketahuna.
It speaks volumes for the strength of the Eketahuna side that they have no fewer than four of their players _ Rebecca Mahoney, Shakira Baker, Emma Aldworth and Perri Tatana _ in the reckoning for Black Ferns selection for the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup.
Marist's appeal hearing against the premier division side losing 14 competition points for playing a non-transferred player in the first three games this season has been deferred at Marist's request. It was to be heard last night but will now take place on Thursday next week.