Semifinal time for premier rugby

JB Phillips

Four clubs competing for championship title

Semifinal time in the 2017 Tasman Tanning Wanganui premier rugby championship on Saturday with four clubs which have won a total of 19 combined championship titles involved.

Top qualifiers and defending champions Waverley Harvesting Border host 2014-15 titleholders Black Bull Liquor Pirates at Dallison Park while Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist, in its centenary year, play six-times champions McCarthy Transport Ruapehu on Spriggens Park.
Border, which also won the title as Waverley in 1995 and 1980, is home to a semi-final for the fourth time in five years, having lost 15-22 to Pirates in 2013 and beating Ruapehu 34-13 in 2015 and 34-15 last season.
This year Border beat Pirates 48-22 at Waverley in the first qualifying round and the teams drew 18-all when Pirates had a home field advantage.
It is the fourth time that Border and Pirates have contested a semi-final with Pirates losing 6-23 at home in 2012 and winning 22-15 on Dallison Park in 2013 and 18-16 at Spriggens Park the following year.
In seven games between the two clubs in Waverley since Border returned from Taranaki in 2011 Pirates has won just twice - 25-14 in 2014 and 22-15 in the 2013 semis.
The 2013 result was only the sixth occasion since 2000 that a team has won both qualifying rounds and been beaten in the play offs.
Pirates did it to Border in 2013 and to Taihape (25-24) in 2015 in semi-finals at Spriggens Park and in finals Ruapehu did it to Marist (13-10 in extra time) in 2008 and to Kaierau (28-6) in 2009 and Marist bounced back from doubles losses in qualifying to beat Kaierau 12-8 in 2010 and to beat Ratana (23-13) in 2000.
This year Border, which lifted the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield 20-12 last weekend off Marist to secure the trophy for 2017, finished 9 pts ahead of Marist on the points table, winning 14 of 16 games, and drawing with Pirates and losing 22-30 to Marist in two visits to Spriggens Park.
Border scored 588 pts (including 87 tries) and conceded 251 pts (37 tries) with fullback Nick Harding (181 pts including 11 tries), winger Harry Symes (84 pts - 14 tries) and centre Kaveni Dabonaise (60 pts - 12 tries) the most prolific points scorers.
Eighteen players have collected tries with home wins of 65-7 v Harvey Round Motors Ratana, 55-12 v Utiku OB and 54-20 v PGG Wrightson/Balance the highest scores.
Border has been unbeaten at Dallison Park in 19 matches since 2015.

This year Pirates, the new Metropolitan titleholders, qualified fourth with 10 wins, two draws (with Border and with Utiku OB in a washed out game last Saturday) and our defeats - to Ruapehu (twice), Border and Taihape with the sole home defeat 19-31 v Ruapehu.
Pirates scored 610 points (94 tries) thanks to 125-0 v Ratana and 74-0 v Kaierau late in the season and conceded 325 pts (45 pts).

Leading points scorers are goal-kicking three-quarter Junior Ainea (140 pts - six tries), half back Fa'alele Iosua (86 pts - 14 tries) and hooker Raymond Epati (65 pts - 13 tries).
Twenty-one players have scored tries.

Six-times champions Marist (2010-07-2000-1996-88-83) and eight-times titleholders Ruapehu (2013-12-09-08, 1986-85-84 as Ohakune and 1979 as Ohakune-Karioi) face a fourth semi-finals clash but at Spriggens Park for the first time.
Marist and Ruapehu contested the 2008 final at Spriggens Park with Ruapehu winning 13-10 in extra time and in Ohakune semi-finals since the turn of the century Marist won 14-8 in 2010 and Ruapehu 13-11 in 2005 and 29-3 in 2009.
This year the two clubs have beaten each other on home soil, Ruapehu winning 29-22 in round one and Marist romping home 48-17 in the return game.
During qualifying rounds Ruapehu has won nine times and Marist seven in fixtures at Spriggens Park and there was a 21-all draw in 2006.
Marist, third last season when eliminated 46-10 away against Taihape in the semis, qualified second this winter despite suffering five defeats - twice against Pirates and once each to Ruapehu, Ngamatapouri and Border on away trips.
Sixteen bonus points, for scoring four or more tries in a game or losing by seven or less points (on four occasions) helped the Marist cause.
Marist's top points scorer was goal-kicking first five Mitchell Millar (132 pts) with winger Simon Dibben and utility Cameron Crowley scoring eight tries each. Two dozen Marist players collected tries.
Marist scored 574 pts (84 tries) and conceded 343 (49 tries) with the highest wins 54-7 v Utiku OB and 54-26 v Ratana at Spriggens Park and 52-5 away against Ratana.

This season Ruapehu, the Northern Wanganui domestic champions and into the semis for a 13th time since 2004, qualified third with 11 wins, a draw with Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri (game rained out last weekend) and losses to Border twice, Taihape and Marist with just one home defeat (18-21 v Border on opening day).
Ruapehu has scored 492 pts (77 tries from 22 players) and conceded 263 (33 tries) with centre Craig Clare (88 pts) and halfback Kahl Elers-Green (55 pts - 11 tries) the most prolific points scorers.
Highest wins were 88-7 v Utiku OB and 60-19 v Ratana at Rochfort Park and 52-0 at Ratana.

In the premier consolation semis on Saturday PGG Wrightson/Balance Taihape will be looking to add to 34-10 and 53-7 qualifying wins over neighbours Utiku OB on Memorial Park and Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri host Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau.
Ngamat and Kaierau beat each other away from home this season with the city team winning 52-29 on opening day and the valley visitors 29-20 at Kaierau.
Speirs Food Marton will be aiming to match the efforts of Ngamatapouri in 2016 and complete an unbeaten season in the senior championship.
Marton has already clinched the Stihl Wanganui Challenge Shield competition title and takes on Taihape in Saturday's cut-throat semi-final at Marton Park.
So far this season Marton has beaten Taihape 68-8 and 57-7in qualifying rounds.
Marton played well to reach last year's final at Cooks Gardens before losing 37-26 to Ngamatapouri in an enterprising final. Closest game this year was 25-19 at home against seven-times champions Kelso Hunterville.
John Kilisi has scored 98 points including 12 tries for Marton this season .

Celtic host seven times champions Hunterville in the other semi-final this weekend. These two teams have had some great tussles in recent years and this season have beaten each other on home fields.
Beaten 27-24 in round one Celtic gained revenge with a 34-17 victory as part of Marist's 100th jubilee celebrations at Queen's Birthday Weekend.
Although not winning the senior title Celtic has been a strong contender in the grade, reaching the semi-finals eight times since 2007 including second behind Hunterville in 2011 when beaten 32-11.
Celtic, however, has beaten Hunterville three times and drawn twice since 2009.
Celtic, who qualified second this season, has been beaten 34-0 and 16-0 by Marton, 26-19 by Pirates on opening day, 10-5 by Counties and 27-24 by Hunterville and drew 17-all away with Taihape.

Hunterville, champions in 2007-09-10-11-12-13-15, lost 28-7 to Ruapehu in the 2015 final and finished third behind Ngamatapouri and Marton last year.
Zane Robinson, the Celtic first five, is the top senior points scorer this season with 148 pts.
This year Hunterville has lost four times - 25-19 and 30-3 v Marton, 20-27 v Taihape and 34-13 v Celtic.
Hunterville has scored 422 pts and conceded 212 and Celtic 381 pts for and 208 against.
Three times champions (2004-06-15) and defending consolation winners Ruapehu beat Border 22-14 in last week's senior consolation final in Waverley.
In their two qualifying round clashes Border won 17-13 at home and 38-36 in Ohakune.
Marist Champion Club
The Marist club, in its centenary year, can proudly claim the title of Wanganui champion rugby club for 2017
Marist, who held very successful 100th year celebrations over Queen's Birthday weekend, has won the Weekes Cup as the top club in the union.
The trophy is decided on championship points obtained by teams competing in Saturday afternoon qualifying competitions.
There is a stipulation of one team per grade.
Originally this embraced all grade teams, down as low as fifth grade, but slowly the age grade competitions have faded away and over recent seasons the cup has been decided on performances in the senior and premier grades.
It is the sixth time that Marist has won the Weekes Cup since the turn of century and the first occasion in nine years with Ruapehu (six times), Pirates (2012) and Border (last season) taking the award since Marist's last success in 2008.
Since 2000 Ruapehu has won the cup seven times (2006-09-10-11-13-14-15), Marist six (2000-01-02-07-08-17), Kaierau three (2003-04-05), Pirates in 2012 and Border last season.

The top three placing since 2000:
■ 2017 - Marist 112, Border 105, Pirates 102.
■ 2016 - Border 95, Taihape 87, Marist 86.
■ 2015 - Ruapehu 115, Pirates 111, Taihape 87.
■ 2014 - Ruapehu 123, Border 99, Pirates 97.
■ 2013 - Ruapehu 134, Pirates 90, Border 81.
■ 2012 - Pirates 64, Ruapehu 49.5, Marist 43.5.
■ 2011 - Ruapehu 107, Kaierau 103, Marist 99.
■ 2010 - Ruapehu 79.5, Marist 65, Kaierau 63.5.
■ 2009 - Ruapehu 82, Kaierau 77, Marist 74.5.
■ 2008 - Marist 81.5, Ruapehu 78.5, Kaierau 67.
■ 2007 - Marist 79.5, Taihape 53.5, Kaierau 52.
■ 2006 - Ruapehu 79.5, Kaierau 55, Ratana 46.
■ 2005 - Kaierau 131, Marist 91, Ruapehu 74.
■ 2004 - Kaierau 138.5, Ruapehu 100.5, Taihape 78.5.
■ 2003 - Kaierau 159, Ratana 86, Marist and Ruapehu 82.
■ 2002 - Marist 176, Kaierau 125, Ratana 109.
■ 2001 - Marist 146, Kaierau 133, Pourewa 124.
■ 2000 - Marist 164, Taihape 87, Kaierau 84.
Note - Different points systems were used at times including the introduction of bonus points and half points in the second round.