Do-or-die in matters of heart(land)

The last weekend of pool play in the Heartland championship has become do-or-die affairs for a number of teams looking to advance to the championship round for the Meads Cup.

Under the inaugural Heartland format, the top three teams from each pool combine for the Meads Cup playoffs while the bottom three from both pools go into the Lochore Cup competition.

Wairarapa-Bush and North Otago, with 17 and 15 points respectively, have a firm hold on the top two spots in pool A.

Mid Canterbury and East Coast, in a scrap for third spot with nine and six points respectively, take on the table leaders this weekend knowing they each need to win to stay in the running.

Mid Canterbury play Wairarapa-Bush while East Coast take on North Otago and Buller meet West Coast.

In the other pool, dominated by unbeaten Wanganui, the battle is wide open with four teams still in the running for the remaining two spots.

Poverty Bay host Wanganui, South Canterbury take on bottom-placed King Country in Timaru and Thames Valley play Horowhenua-Kapiti.

Thames Valley and King Country, with six and five points respectively, have to score big wins and need teams above them to lose to make the top three.

Poverty Bay coach Paul Feeney was in no doubt what his team had to do against Wanganui.

"[We] have to win to have any chance of making the top six - that's it really," he said.

Poverty Bay will miss the leadership and experience of second five-eighth Mike Morrissey, who has played 85 games for the team.

Morrissey broke his leg last week against Horowhenua-Kapiti but Feeney said he would be replaced capably by Ian Logan.

"Wanganui are obviously a good attacking side in good conditions, and will be difficult to beat.

"We haven't put a complete performance together - playing well in dribs and drabs but we have to put a complete performance together this weekend," Feeney said.

Mid Canterbury coach Mark Cousins said Wairarapa-Bush had good forwards and a set of backs who could take advantage of opposition errors.

"They pounce on opportunities so we'll be looking to limit those opportunities," Cousins said.

He said the team would be looking for inspiration from this weekend's 25th anniversary reunion of the Mid Canterbury team of the early eighties.

That team went unbeaten in the Canterbury region for four years and also won the then South Island second division championship.

East Coast co-coach Buck Gray said his team were confident of a upsetting North Otago.

- NZPA