Final repechage match gives ideal conclusion

Three into one won't go, so two out of Tasman, Southland and Northland are going to be disappointed tomorrow night.

The Air New Zealand Cup repechage contest has produced two vastly different pools. Bay of Plenty sealed their quarter-final spot from pool A with a week to spare.

But it's a different story in pool B, where fledgling union Tasman can seal a quarter-final spot with victory against lacklustre Taranaki in New Plymouth today.

It would be a remarkable result for the new union, who have given a largely impressive account of themselves in their debut campaign.

Equally, they face the galling prospect of winning, then being overtaken in Whangarei tomorrow, when Northland face Southland. Southland top pool B with eight points, Tasman have five and Northland four.

Here's where the mathematics comes in:

* First, the easy part. A Southland win guarantees a last eight appointment.

* A Tasman victory means Southland must get at least a bonus point. It would also count Northland out as Tasman thumped them last weekend in Blenheim.

* Northland can get up if Taranaki topple Tasman and they get a bonus-point win, while keeping Southland pointless.

The point is, it will all hinge on the final repechage game tomorrow, providing the ideal conclusion.