In addition it will be a special day for Wanganui hooker Cole Baldwin who will be presented with his 100-match blazer after reaching the milestone when playing against Mid Canterbury in Ashburton last weekend.
Baldwin is the 13th player to represent Wanganui in 100 or more games and he will set a national record of 96 Heartland fixtures at the weekend. He equalled Peter Rowe's 95 fixtures last Saturday.
After two weekends of trooping off to the South Island for back to back matches against Canterbury provincial teams, the Steelform Wanganui squad return to their base at Cooks Gardens, looking to preserve an unbeaten record of 11 home games without defeat.
The last defeat at Cooks Gardens was 30-28 against defending Meads Cup champions Mid Canterbury in 2015 and there was a 17-all draw with King Country that same season although the Butcher Boys recovered to win the Heartland championship.
The recent southern trips took their toll with air sickness helping to contribute to a 21-17 loss at the hands of South Canterbury in Timaru - Wanganui's first defeat in a record 22 Mitre 10 Heartland fixtures.
Wanganui out-scored Mid Canterbury six tries to four last Saturday but was pipped 40-39 when a last minute penalty goal was successful.
It was mid Canterbury's highest score aganst Wanganui.
The upshot is that Wanganui cannot afford to drop any more games if they are to have a realistic chance of completing a hat-trick of Meads Cup titles.
Remaining on the qualifying agenda are a home game against 2015 Lochore Cup champions King Country (this weekend), defending the Bruce Steel Memorial Cup against second-placed Horowhenua-Kapiti in Levin (Saturday week) and taking on former Meads and Lochore Cup champions North Otago at Cooks Gardens (October 8). North Otago is eighth on the points table, just 2 pts behind Wanganui.
Hopefully Wanganui can collect enough points to qualify for a home Meads Cup semifinal on October 21 and have the opportunity of playing in a ninth final the following weekend.
Present indications, however, point to Timaru hosting the Meads final if South Canterbury, who lead the competition, continues its winning way.
Despite the recent loss in Timaru, when there was little between the two teams, Wanganui would rate a good chance of repeating its 28-11 away win over the green and blacks in the 2015 Meads Cup final. Both Wanganui and South Canterbury, however, have to keep winning to have a chance of qualifying for the 2017 final.
Remaining qualifying games for South Canterbury are against West Coast in Greymouth (this weekend), home against Wairarapa-Bush and away to East Coast in Ruatoria. There is a curtain-raiser between Whanganui Maori and Marton Samoans at Cooks Gardens on Saturday.
Little difference
Wanganui may have dropped only two of 11 Heartland matches against King Country since the championship series started in 2006 but there have been several close matches including two draws.
The draws - 23-all at Te Kuiti in 2006 and 17-all when King Country last played at Cooks Gardens in 2015 - are the only two drawn games Wanganui has contested in 114 Heartland fixtures over the past 12 years.
In 2014 the unions clashed in the Lochore Cup semifinals with Wanganui winning 37-6 before flying to Oamaru to beat North Otago 14-12 for the title.
King Country recorded single point back to back victories over Wanganui in 2013 at Cooks Gardens (17-16) and 2014 (30-29) in Te Kuiti.
There was also a close match at Te Kuiti in 2012 which Wanganui won 22-19.
At the other end of the scoring range there were solid Wanganui victories at Taupo in 2010 (55-22), Cooks Gardens in 2011 (50-19) and at Te Kuiti in 2008 (47-19) and 2014 (37-6).
In 11 Heartland games Wanganui has scored 351 points and conceded 193 with an average score of 27-18.
The two unions contested 12 of the old NPC Div 2 and 3 competition games between 1985 and 2003 with King Country winning eight times, scoring 300 points for and 246 against for an average 23-19 victory.
They contested one NPC final with Wanganui avenging a 20-23 qualifying round defeat on Cooks Gardens in 2003 with a 28-6 Div 3 title win in Te Kuiti.
The two highest scoring victories were both on Cooks Gardens with King Country winning 45-4 in 1991 and Wanganui 37-27 in 2001.
Wanganui won all nine of the old North Island Div 2 fixtures between 1976 and 1984 with a highest score of 35-0 on Spriggens Park in 1980. Wanganui scored 161 points and conceded 60 for an average score of 18-7.
There were 31 other first-class games played between 1933 and 1996 with King Country winning 19 times, 12 on the trot between 1954 and 1969 including by 54-10 at Taumarunui in 1992. Wanganui won 12 in a row between 1972 and 1984 after the retirement of the Meads Brothers. In 1945 there was a 6-all draw at Raetihi which was then part of the King Country union.
In the 64 games between the two unions Wanganui has won 32 times, King Country 29 and here have been three draws, Wanganui scoring 1124 points and King Country 1021, with an average score of 18-16 to Wanganui.
History could indicate a close game on Saturday.
Mixed Season
King Country may be struggling this season but the Rams qualified for both the 2015 and 2016 Lochore Cup finals, meeting North Otago both times for the title at Te Kuiti.
Twenty-four years after beating Southland for the 1991 NPC Div 2 championship final King Country claimed a second NZ title - 47-34 over North Otago in the 2015 Heartland Lochore Cup final.
The same two unions met again in the final last season, this time the Old Golds winning six tries to three (44-22). It was North Otago's third Lochore final in as many years.
King Country has twice qualified in the Top Six for the Meads Cup play-offs, in 2007 and 2008.
This year in the first five rounds King Country went down 17-6 to West Coast in Taupo, lost 42-36 to South Canterbury at Timaru, beat Wairarapa-Bush 32-25 in Te Kuiti, was shaded 28-26 by North Otago in Oamaru in a clash of the Lochore Cup finalists for the past two years and last weekend lost 45-36 to Thames Valley in Te Kuiti.
The Rams are 10th on the points table, 6 pts adrift of qualifying for the Lochore Cup semis.
They have been competitive in most of their matches, pocketing five bonus points in the past four games.
Winger Dean Church, with more than 60 rep games under his belt, has 171 points to his credit including four tries this season.
King Country has scored five tries against both top of the table South Canterbury and third positioned
Thames Valley.The side has 16 tries this year and conceded 20.
Latest Statistics
Wanganui players are second in both points scoring and try scoring in Heartland rugby this year.
Craig Clare (3 tries, 12 conversions and 13 penalty goals) has scored 78 points, just two adrift of Buller's James Lash (4 tries, 12 conversions, 10 penalties and two field goals).
Jarred Percival, who kicked Mid Canterbury to last Saturday's thrilling 40-39 win over Wanganui, with his four penalties the only successful ones against the defending champions this season, is third with 65 pts, two clear of James So'oialo (Horowhenua-Kapiti).
In goal-kiicking Clare has 63 pts, Lash and Percival 60 each and So'oialo 43.
In try scoring Mid Canterbury's Maleli Sau, who sored twice against Wanganui, is tops with seven tries, one more than local second five Timoci Seruwalu with Kalavini Leatigaga (South Canterbury) one try further back.
James Lash, Dean Church (King Country), Brad Hemopo (South Canterbury) and George Lelenoa (Thames Valley) have four tries each and 16 others, including locals Craig Clare and Kaveni Debonaise, have three each.
Team tries scored - South Canterbury 24, Mid Canterbury 23, Wanganui 22, Thames Valley 19, Horowhenua-Kapiti and West Coast 18, Wairarapa-Bush 17, King Coutry and North Otago 16, Buller and Poverty Bay 14, East Coast seven.
Tries conceded - Horowhenua-Kapiti seven, Thames Valley10, Wanganui and West Coast 13, South Canterbury 15, North Otago 17, Poverty Bay 18, Buller 19, Mid Canterbury and King Country 20, East Cosst and Wairarapa-Bush 28.
Most conversions kicked - South Canterbury 17, Wanganui 16, Horowhenua-Kapiti and Mid Canterbury 15, Buller and North Otago 14.
Most penalties kicked - Wanganui 13, Buller, King Country, Mid Canterbury and North Otago 10, Horowhenua-Kapiti and Poverty Bay eight.
