Battle lines drawn for provincial rivals

Two of provincial rugby's most fierce rivalries play out this weekend, with more than the usual pride factor at stake.

Canterbury put the Ranfurly Shield on the line against Otago, the fellow-South Island giants who blitzed them twice last year, while Auckland and North Harbour square off to decide the winners of pool A in the Air New Zealand Cup.

If Harbour can retain their unbeaten record in tomorrow night's battle of the bridge clash at Eden Park, they will top the pool and can't be headed in the final round of the first phase of the competition next week.

Likewise, Auckland can sit out their bye round next week relaxed the pool honours are theirs if they can notch a 22nd win in 28 matches against their northern neighbours.

Auckland ran into a determined Wellington last week to suffer their first loss while unbeaten Harbour produced their best result of an impressive season to date when they downed Wellington two weeks ago.

His team had a bye last week but influential Harbour No 8 Nick Williams said it had only served to freshen his team.

"Harbour's been known for their flashy backs now and then but the forwards have put their hands up this year," he said.

"We've rolled over Wellington and Bay of Plenty who pride themselves on their forwards. We just like to do the hard yards."

Auckland captain Steve Devine left no doubt about the need to improve on last week.

"We were scratchy everywhere. Our scrum struggled for the first time, our lineouts were woeful, we got turned over a lot of ruck time -- we need to make an all round improvement."

Unbeaten Otago can not only lift the Shield for the first time since 1957 if successful on Saturday, they will also secure the pool B crown a week early.

They will be buoyed by memories of last year's semifinal at the same Jade Stadium venue where halfback Chris Smylie inspired an Otago upset.

Smylie and first five-eighth Nick Evans have the game-breaking ability to create problems for the hosts, along with much-improved second five-eighth Callum Bruce, who was relishing his first Shield challenge.

"We've learned some valuable lessons this year," Bruce said.

"We learned to play 80-minute rugby against Waikato, we learned how to hold on to a narrow lead against Southland and in the first couples of games (Northland and Hawke's Bay), we scored four tries.

"So we've played a variety of games ... now we just have to make sure everything goes our way."

If Canterbury win, pool B will come down to a three-way race next week, assuming Waikato beat Hawke's Bay in Napier on Sunday.

They should do so, given the rampaging form of Waikato loose forwards Sione Lauaki and Liam Messam, and the fact that they haven't lost to the Magpies for 15 years.

The other pool B match should be a tighter affair on Sunday when Counties Manukau play Southland at Mt Smart Stadium.

Southland have never tasted success on Counties Manukau soil and have only won four of their 18 matches.

However, their last clash was five years ago and since then the southerners fortunes have risen while Counties Manukau slumped into the second division.

Another tight affair looms at Blenheim tomorrow where Tasman host Bay of Plenty.

If they aren't careful, the inconsistent Bay are in danger of being the first former NPC first division team to be beaten by a promoted side.

That is a most unlikely scenario at Palmerston North on Saturday, where Manawatu host Wellington.

Manawatu haven't beaten Wellington since 1989 and while the competition minnows have produced some game performances, aren't likely to trouble a gradually-improving Wellington outfit.

- NZPA