Baywide Rugby: Premier 1 heats up as teams battle for home semifinals

Te Puke's Jason Thomasen on the charge against Rangataua. Photo / File

We are often warned not to count our chickens before they hatch and it could not be more true for Baywide Premier 1 men's teams.

To try and predict which team is going to have home advantage come finals day on July 20 would be like trying to predict who All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will choose for this year's Rugby World Cup squad.

At this stage in the competition five teams are in contention for a semifinals spot. Only five points separate first and fifth spot. Te Puna, Tauranga Sports, Greerton Marist, Mount Maunganui Sports and Te Puke Sports are all within striking distance of securing a home semifinal.

The two must see matches this weekend are Te Puke hosting the Mount at Murray Salt Stadium and Greerton Marist travelling to Te Puna at Maramatanga Park.

Te Puna currently sit at the top of the points table but Greerton Marist coach Kane Parker is a great tactician and he will have analysed his opposition weaknesses and come up with a plan for his men to create enough pressure to open up opportunities.

However, Te Puna coach Aidan Kuka is no slouch either and they have a lot to play for. Their club celebrated 100 years this year and what better way to honour the occasion than to have the final played at Maramatanga Park.

Not too many things faze Te Puke coach Matt Wallis, even with his side suffering two losses in the second round. You wouldn't blame him if he started to push the panic button. But Wallis is not that type of coach, his philosophy is simple "trust in the systems you've put in place and believe".

Mount Maunganui coach Reuben Parkinson knows full well he will have a battle on his hands this Saturday. But he has a talented team who have the skills and the ability to keep themselves in the top four.

Rangiuru are a side who can beat any team on their day and that makes it a dangerous equation for Tauranga Sports who want to stay in the top two, guaranteeing them a home semifinal match.

Unfortunately for Whakarewarewa and Rangataua, both sides are playing for pride now with no chance of making it any further in the competition.

Meanwhile, in the Baywide Premier women's competition, expect an epic battle when Rangiuru host Whakarewarewa this weekend.

The last time these two sides met was in week one of the competition and it was a thrilling finish. Rangiuru were camped on Whakarewarewa's goal line, leading 20-15 with five minutes left on the clock.

However, ill-discipline around the rucks saw Rangiuru penalised several times in a row, leading to Whakarewarewa scoring a try at the other end of the field. Unfortunately, they were not able to convert the try and both sides had to settle for a 20-all draw.

They both had solid performances last weekend, with Whakarewarewa beating Waimana 26-12 and Rangiuru producing a convincing win over Rangataua 43-0.

In the other match Waimana will travel to Te Ariki Park to take on Rangataua.

Waimana are a side who travel well, an example being their 26-15 win over Whakarewarewa at Puarenga Park last round. However, the last time the two sides met Rangataua came away with a 55-34 win.

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Baywide Rugby Draw

Premier 1:
Whakarewarewa v Rangataua at Puarenga Park, Te Puke v Mount Mauganui at Murray Salt Stadium, Te Puna v Greerton Marist at Maramatanga Park, Tauranga Sports v Rangiuru at Tauranga Domain.

Premier 2:
Waikite v Te Teko at Bellvue Road, Ngongotahā v Marist St Michael's at Ngongotahā Domain, Arataki v Kahukura at Arataki Park, Ōpōtiki v Ruatoki at Princess Street Reserve.

Division 1:
Rotoiti v Reporoa at Emery Park, Poroporo v Paroa at Poroporo Park, Whakatāne Marist v Murupara at Rugby Park Whakatāne, Pāpāmoa v Judea at Gordon Spratt Reserve.

Division 2:
Waimana v Eastern Districts at Waimana Domain, Matata v Galatea/Waiohau at Richmond Park, Edgecumbe v Katikati at Edgecumbe Domain.

WBOP Senior Reserves:
Matakana v Tauranga Sports at Matakana Island, Te Puna v Greerton Marist at Maramatanga Park.

Premier Women:
Rangiuru v Whakarewarewa at Centennial Park, Rangataua v Waimana at Te Ariki Park.