Gladstone make it home for quarters

Gladstone is the only team assured of a home quarter-final leading into Saturday's final series of preliminary round matches in the Wairarapa-Bush senior first division rugby championship.
The top four teams will be accorded that distinction with Gladstone (20pts) already there and Carterton (16pts), Marist (16pts), East Coast (13pts), Pioneer (13pts), Greytown (13pts) and Martinborough (12pts) all in the reckoning for the other three spots. Of them East Coast already knows they will finish the preliminary rounds on 17pts.
They have the bye on Saturday and that is worth four points to them, another illustration of just how important the draw has been in the race to the semi-finals. Having the bye is, in essence, as good as a win on the points table and it is hardly surprising that the two teams fighting for the eighth and last qualifying spot, Eketahuna (4pts) and Puketoi (2pts), have not had the benefit of it. Saturday's draw sees Martinborough playing Gladstone at Martinborough, Pioneer playing Eketahuna in Masterton, Carterton up against Puketoi at Carterton and Greytown playing Marist at Greytown. Going on current form the odds would favour wins being registered by Gladstone, Pioneer, Carterton and Marist. And if that is the case those four teams would also host the quarter-finals, Pioneer edging out East Coast for the fourth seeding on points differential.
However, the form book has not been the most reliable of guides so far this season and while victory to the likes of Martinborough, Eketahuna and Greytown would be a surprise it's certainly not entirely out of the question.