KEY POINTS:
Wanganui hope it's third time lucky when they host Mid Canterbury in the Heartland Championship's Meads Cup rugby final tomorrow.
The "Butcher Boys" have made the cup decider in each of the three years so far, but came away empty-handed against Wairarapa Bush in 2006 and North Otago
last season.
Coach Guy Lennox, in his first stint in the job after having served as an assistant, is confident history will not weigh down his squad, a number of whom were not part of previous campaigns.
"We're a different team and we don't want to carry that baggage," he said.
"If you start worrying about losing three in a row, it becomes a negative mindset, so we're just focusing on the job ahead, attacking the final and enjoying it."
Unbeaten Wanganui will go into the showdown as definite favourites.
They have cut a swathe through the championship, scoring 393 points and conceding just 96 in their nine wins.
All bar their 19-8 result victory over North Otago have been by big margins, such as their 43-12 home trouncing of Mid Canterbury last month.
Wanganui scored seven tries to two that day as the attacking flair of their island contingent came to the fore, with fullback Asaeli Tikoirotuma (two), centre Faapulou Soolefai and No 8 Ron Katonivere all scoring.
Lennox agreed that his team's 100 percent record was a definite positive in the build-up, but also said the earlier win over their co-finalists carried little significance now.
"We had a good start and Mid Canterbury were forced to play catch-up and made a few errors, so you can't read anything into that," he said.
"If we start to bask in the glory of two months ago, we'll be in trouble. No, it's a new game."
In a key change, Wanganui welcome back first five-eighth Leon Mason after a spell on the sidelines because of an ankle problem, with Denning Tyrell moving from No 10 to halfback.
The weather could have a big effect on the nature of the contest, with rain forecast to continue through the afternoon, thus dampening the home side's attacking threats out wide.
It would also put a premium on getting superiority up front, where Mid Canterbury's loose trio of skipper Jason Gill, No 8 Peter McAndrew and blindside flanker Jon Dampney have been in good form.
Mid Canterbury coach Trevor Bokser agreed that the expected conditions would act as a leveller, but his players could not rely on the weather to carry them through.
Instead, ball security would have to be much better than in the round-robin defeat to Wanganui.
"They were in hot form that day and they're going to take a lot of beating," he said.
"The strike power they have out wide, some first division teams wouldn't have. We just have to hang on to the ball for longer phases."
Bokser has retained his starting 15 from last weekend, when Mid Canterbury snuffed out North Otago's hopes of a successful title defence via a 38-24 victory in Ashburton, with second five-eighth Jack Umaga grabbing a hat-trick of tries.
Earlier tomorrow in Gisborne, Poverty Bay will aim to make it three Lochore Cup titles in succession.
They host Horowhenua-Kapiti, whom they beat 36-18 in Levin a fortnight ago in the last round of the regular season.
- NZPA
