Points-wise Border is streets ahead of Taihape this year, scoring 333 points and conceding 98 (average score of 48-14) compared with 170 for and 102 against (average score 24-15) with Border scoring 54 tries from 15 players and Taihape 27 tries by 14 individuals.
First five Craig Clare has scored 67 pts for Border with halfback Lindsay Horrocks and winger Vereniki Tikoisolomone (8 each), Clare (7), winger Isaia Hooper and centre Alekesio Vakarorogo (5 each) the top try scorers.
Taihape first five Dane Whale has scored 35 pts for Taihape with winger Ryan Karatau (5) and hooker Dylan Galliem (4) the top try scorers.
Should Taihape beat Border it will face Grand Shield defences against Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri (away) and McCarthy Transport Ruapehu (home) in the final two trophies fixtures of the year.
A Border victory this weekend will see the team away to Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist and Ngamatapouri for shield defences.
Saturday is also an important day for Kaierau, the defending Metro domestic champions, who are now 2 points behind Border in the quest to retain the Alex Takarangi Cup.
Border leads Kaierau 16 pts to 14 after last weekend's game in Waverley with both teams still to play Marist and Ngamatapouri.
On Saturday Kaierau hosts Ngamat, a side it beat 69-12 away in round one, and badly needs another five pointer to stay in Metro consideration if Border should falter in the final qualifying rounds.
In addition a Ngamat scalp would boost Kaierau's home championship semifinal hopes. At present Kaierau is level pegging with Taihape in the overall standings – 6 pts adrift of Border – but ahead of Taihape if a count-back of tries between the two clubs, who have beaten each other this season, is required.
So far this campaign Kaierau has scored 221 points (34 tries) and conceded 88 points (13 trues) and Ngamatapouri 119 (18) and 317 (52).
Ethan Robinson has scored 45 points for Kaierau with utility Robinson, mid fielder Dillon Adrole and winger Karl Pascoe on six tries each, second five Timoci Seruwalu scoring four tries for the opposition.
Kaierau ran in 11 tries in the first round clash up the Waitotara Valley.
Fourth-placed Marist (11 pts) is off to Rochfort Park to tackle Ruapehu (7 pts) which is making a late charge to endeavour to qualify for the play-offs for a 17th successive season.
Ruapehu, away to Kaierau and Taihape over the final fortnight, needs a five pointer this weekend to enhance the prospects of a Top Four finish. Marist hosts Border and Kaierau in the final two rounds.
Since Ruapehu started its golden run of reaching every Wanganui premier club semifinals since 2004 Marist has completed a qualifying double success in the same season only once.
That was in 2008 when the greens won 10-0 at Spriggens Park and 21-20 at Rochfort Park but Ruapehu came back to pip Marist 13-10 in a Spriggens Park final that went into extra time.
It was the last time that Marist won the Metropolitan domestic title, claiming the Takarangi Cup with double success against Kaierau (13-3 away and 18-5 home) and a 20-5 win and an 8-19 loss against Pirates.
With Border then playing in the Taranaki competition there were only three Metro premier sides.
Visiting English goal kicker Henry Prygos scored 147 points for Marist in 2008 with NZ Heartland three-quarters Cameron Crowley (16 tries) and Asaeli Tikoirotuma (14) the leading try scorers in the union.
Ruapehu's top points scorer was goal-kicker Chris Winter with (53 pts) with David Gower and Shannon Lit each scoring eight tries.
Marist won 13 of 16 games that year and was the only team to beat Ruapehu with the city side scoring 481 points and Ruapehu 357. Marist lost to Ratana 24-25 and 8-19 against to Pirates 8-19 in home games.
Over the past 10 seasons Ruapehu has won 15 of 19 matches against Marist who won 30-23 at home last month, 28-8 away in 2018 and 48-17 on Spriggens Park in 2017. There was a 22-all draw at Rochfort Park in 2011.
This season Marist has collected two victories, both home affairs – the seven point win against Ruapehu and 28-5 over Ngamatapouri – and Ruapehu finally broke through with an entertaining 62-43 away win over Ngamat last Saturday in a game that produced 18 tries.
That victory ended a nightmare six match losing streak this season in contrast to last year's start of eight successive victories.
Ruapehu has scored 165 points (27 tries) this season and conceded 267 pts (43 tries) and Marist 121 pts (15 tries) for and 237 pts (37 tries) against.
Centre Royce Trow and No 8 Campbell Hart have each scored five tries and second five Troy Brown and prop Gabriel Hakaraia four each for Ruapehu with goal-kicking fullback Ashton Coates scoring 34 pts for Marist.
Top Seniors Clash
Wanganui rugby officials could face a tricky situation at Ratana Pa on Saturday when the home team faces Marist Celtic in a top of the table senior Challenge Shield match.
The shield game will attract huge interest but the tricky situation is that current Covid-19 laws restrict match attendees to a maximum 100 and that includes spectators, players and officials, as is the case at other venues.
The Ratana rugby field, however, is not an enclosed area but thankfully quite a few spectators watch matches from their vehicles which could help solve the numbers problem with supporters staying in their cars.
Wanganui Rugby CEO Bridget Belsham talked over the situation with Ratana officials last Saturday when the visitors retained the Challenge Shield 57-20 against Black Bull Liquor Pirates at Spriggens Park.
The two clubs dropped down from premier status to senior this season in a bid to re-build after struggling in the top grade last year and suffering some sizeable defeats, Ratana conceding 613 points and Pirates 491.
This year Ratana, now coached by former rep brothers Leon and Ramond-Lee Mason, who played a total of 115 games for Wanganui between 1998 and 2004, has won all six senior fixtures, scoring 234 points and conceding 84.
Ratana opened with a 20-7 away win over neighbours Speirs Food Marton and then lifted the Stihl Challenge Shield 48-17 at home off Utiku OB.
Since then the trophy has been defended against 2019 holders Bennett's Taihape 39-15 away, by the same score away against Kelso Hunterville, 31-10 at home against Counties and 57-20 v Pirates on Spriggens Park last weekend.
Ratana has still to play home fixtures against Ali Arc Logistics – DNA Kennels Celtic (currently top), Border (11th),and Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau (3rd) and away to Marist Buffalos (8th).
Celtic has collected home wins against Pirates 51-0, Utiku OB 22-10 and Buffalo's 43-3, and away against Kaierau 24-21, Marton 35-5, Counties 43-0 and Border 59-0.
At present Ratana has an average winning score of 39-14 from six games and Celtic 41-5 from seven matches with each team only failing to score a bonus point (four tries) once.
In other senior games on Saturday Utiku (4th) v Counties (7th) and Taihape (6th) v Buffalos (8th) in a Taihape double, Hunterville (5th) host Pirates (9th), the bottom two sides Marton (10th) and Bordeer (11th) meet on Marton Park and third-placed Kaierau has the bye.
