KEY POINTS:
Wellington will be out to break their finals hoodoo when they take on Canterbury in the capital on Saturday in a repeat of the 2004 national championship final.
For the nearly-men of provincial rugby, Saturday's match will be Wellington's fifth final in six years, with the previous four all ending in defeat.
That history - and the Wellington public's expectation their title-drought is about to end - was not a burden, Lions assistant coach Andre Bell said.
"We haven't even thought about it. For Jamie [Joseph] and I it is our first year as coaches of Wellington and we are just happy to be there. We haven't talked about the history and the weight of expectation."
Wellington's horror run in big matches includes the 2004 final, when they hosted Canterbury and were smashed 40-27 thanks to two Justin Marshall tries and eight goals from the boot of Dan Carter.
Neither Carter nor Marshall will be there to torment Wellington on Saturday, with Canterbury's hopes of a first title since that match likely to rest on the shoulders of rookie Colin Slade.
The little known 21-year-old playmaker was in masterful form for the second week running on Saturday night as Canterbury subdued a determined Hawkes Bay in Christchurch.
He set up their first try, scored their second and pulled off a miraculous tackle on lock Bryn Evans to deny the Magpies what would have been a crucial second-half try.
Who will partner Slade in the halves remains to be seen, with All Blacks halfback Andy Ellis hobbling off in the first half with a knee injury that could place his All Blacks touring prospects in jeopardy.
Canterbury also have injury worries over top-scoring wing Michael Paterson, who departed early in the first half, and centre Casey Laulala, who picked up a knock moments from the end. The extent of Ellis' injury is not known, with Canterbury describing it only as a "knee strain".
Any injury to Ellis could be good news for Wellington halfback Alby Mathewson, whose fine form for the Lions is one of the reasons Piri Weepu has shifted to first five-eighths for the playoffs.
Mathewson, who has made 22 appearances for the Hurricanes, would be at the front of the queue if the All Blacks selectors decide to pick their third halfback on form. Auckland's Taniela Moa could also be in with a shout after being called to South Africa as injury cover earlier in the season, although his prospects will not have been helped by Auckland's early exit from the competition.
Both Wellington and Canterbury advanced courtesy of nervy semifinal victories. On Friday night the Lions had a couple of pieces of individual brilliance from wing Hosea Gear to thank for their 28-19 victory over a Southland team that had led for much of the second half. Canterbury needed similar heroics from Slade to repel Hawkes Bay 31-21 on Saturday night.
Wellington might have been nearly-men in recent years but they have had the wood on Canterbury of late, knocking them out of last season's competition in the semifinals with a 26-21 victory in Christchurch and beating them 36-23 in a 2006 quarter-final.
The Lions have been in decline in recent weeks after peaking mid-season, but veteran Canterbury prop Greg Somerville - who will play his last game in New Zealand in the final - is not reading much into their struggles against Tasman, Otago and Southland.
"They might have had a few patches where they've been a bit tired I guess but, come [Saturday], that won't mean anything to them," Somerville said. "They'll be up for the challenge, they'll be at home and they will be a formidable opposition."
Somerville admitted a tear almost passed his eye when farewelling AMI Stadium on Saturday night. This weekend's final will also serve as a last hurrah for several other players. Veteran Wellington loose forward Thomas Waldrom is to join Hawkes Bay and the Crusaders while lock Ross Filipo is shifting to Christchurch full time. Canterbury's fullback Scott Hamilton is heading overseas.
