First division campaigns start in earnest

Previous form will count for nothing as the six teams left to contest the Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Union's senior first division championship start their campaigns in earnest tomorrow.
Points gained in the preliminary round might have got the contenders this far but, unlike last year, they are not carried through into the next phase of the competition.
The big loser from this rule change is, of course, Gladstone, which went through their nine preliminary games without defeat and finished five points clear of nearest rivals, Marist, and all of 16 points ahead of third placed Greytown-Tuhirangi. Twelve months ago they and Marist for that matter would have been virtually assured of semi-final positions right now.
Under the current rules though it will be just as important for Gladstone and Marist as any other side that they make a positive start tomorrow so as to avoid the possibility of them having to make up lost ground a few weeks down the track and the draw has done them no favours in that respect.
They are scheduled to meet each other at Memorial Park in the opening series of matches so one or the other will very probably go into next weekend's fixtures in catch up mode.
Gladstone beat Marist 25-15 in their preliminary round encounter, a result close enough to suggest that Marist's prospects of turning the tables on this occasion can't be discounted.
That Marist have the experience and tactical nous in the backs through the likes of Patrick Rimene, Nathan Couch and Phil Aporo to worry Gladstone basically goes without saying but whether their forwards can win enough ball to give that trio the chance to shine is another matter.
Gladstone coach Steve Thompson is a hard task master when it comes to his pack imposing themselves physically on their opposition and in Kurt Simmonds, Richard Puddy, Andrew McLean, Mike Spence and Steve Wilkinson he has a number of players who relish that aspect of forward play.
Thompson won't be under-estimating the Marist pack though. He will know that in Corey Reid they have one of the best lineout forwards around and that experienced campaigners like Lee Paku and Geordie Walden always have a trick or two up their sleeves.
Perhaps then discipline could be the key to the end result of this one. Both teams have in-form goal kickers, Rimene for Marist and Matt Easton for Gladstone, and just how much influence they have on proceedings could have a big bearing on who takes the spoils.
Greytown-Tuhirangi will be at home to defending champions Carterton in what should also be a closely-contested affair.
Carterton started the preliminary round as if they were destined to be no chance of winning the title for a second successive year but a string of wins over the last month or so saw them rocket up the ladder and they are very much in contention again.
Greytown-Tuhirangi, for their part, have been pretty much a mixture of good and indifferent but the signs are there that they too are capable of making a decent bid for a semi-final spot as well.
What makes the outcome of this game difficult to predict is that the two sides seem very evenly matched at both back and forward and, with that in mind, this too is a game where goal kicking could prove vital to the end result.
Carterton have one of the more reliable performers in that department in Jono Hurley and his prowess there just might be the deciding factor.
The third of the senior firsts matches sees Eketahuna up against Pioneer at Eketahuna and while the home side will start favourites Pioneer are no strangers to upsetting the applecart and victory to them would be no great surprise.
The problem for Pioneer will revolve around attaining enough quality ball from the forward exchanges to give their hard-running backs ample opportunity to show their wares.
Eketahuna should have the edge at scrum and lineout and that could be enough to swing things their way.
In senior second division matches Martinborough, who could consider themselves somewhat unlucky not to have retained first division status, should be too good for Masterton Red Star at Martinborough but the result should be a lot closer when Puketoi and East Coast meet at Pongaroa.