Top contenders meet in final round

FAST PASS: Pirates' No 13 Siulagi Lafi offloading to No 12 Vaovasa Afa'sua who went on to get a try in Saturday's match against Ratana. PICTURE / BEVAN CONLEY

It is not often that Marist has beaten Border premiers in recent years - just three times since the South Taranaki club switched back from Taranaki in 2011.

Waverley Harvesting Border has won the other 10 Tasman Tanning sponsored fixtures and has a score to settle when the top two 2017 contenders meet at Dallison Park on Saturday in the final qualifying round.

Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist is the only side to have beaten the defending champions this season and lifted the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield into the bargain with the 30-22 first round victory at Spriggens Park two months ago.

Top of the table Border was minus some key backs that afternoon with goal-kicking fullback Nick Harding, the top points scorer in the union again this year with 166 points, solid Fraser Middleton, and regular try scorers Kaveni Dabonaise (12 tries) and Isaiah Hooper (8 tries) missing.
Border is unbeaten in the last 18 home premier matches since losing 14-25 against McCarthy Transport Ruapehu in 2015. Closest game on Dallison Park was 43-26 against Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau last month.
Since losing to Ruapehu three seasons ago Border has enjoyed an average home winning score of 46-13, scoring 836 pts and conceding 239.
This season Border snatched a last minute penalty goal 21-18 win over Ruapehu in Ohakune to lift the Grand Shield on March 25, was held to a 19-10 win at Kaierau, went down 22-30 to lose the shield to Marist and was matched 19-all by Black Bull Liquor Pirates in two close encounters at Spriggens Park, and landed three late penalties to beat PGG Wrightson/Balance Taihape 30-21 on Memorial Park.

The champions, who have scored 568 points (86 tries) from 15 games, have been untroubled in other fixtures this winter. Border has conceded 239 points (35 tries).
By contrast Marist has dropped two games in each round - 32-33 and 29-32 in nail-biting local home derby fixtures against Pirates, 22-29 away against Ruapehu in round one and 28-30 away to Settlers Honey in the second round.

The greens have registered close home wins over Ngamatapoui (38-31) and Border (30-22) and away against Utiku OB (20-15) and Taihape (26-23) in two trips to Taihape. Marist has scored 562 points (82 tries) and conceded 323 pts (48 tries).

The top points scorers for Border and Marist this season are - Border: Nick Harding 166 pts including 12 tries, Harry Symes 84 pts (14 tries), Kaveni Dabonaise 60 pts (12 tries). Marist: Mitchell Miller 130 pts.

Marist has a chance of emerging as top qualifiers for the semifinals but would have to beat Border by more than 7 pts, score at least four tries and contain the home side to less than four tries.
That would leave the two teams level pegging at the top of the qualifying table but Marist would claim the No 1 ranking on the strength of two wins over Border.
Border only requires a single championship point to top the table.

Hosts Ruapehu (v Ngamatapouri) and travelling sides Pirates (away to Utiku OB) and Kaierau (at Ratana) will be after repeat wins following 37-5, 36-15 and 29-0 victories in their respective first round games.
Ruapehu (55 pts) and Pirates (54) are already assured of semifinal starts and will have to travel to Waverley or Spriggens Park.
Ruapehu, with maximum points, could draw level with Marist (if the side fails to score points at Waverley) but Marist would win on the count-back (more tries).
Taihape (49 pts and with the bye this weekend) and Ngamatapouri (38 pts) will host premier consolation semis against Kaierau (18) and Utiku OB (17) with winless Ratana (2 pts) out of the play-offs.

Shield At Stake
The winner of the Border v Marist premier clash on Saturday will win the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield for the season and be able to enjoy $500 of product that goes with the trophy.
The shield has already changed hands six times this year with Border lifting it off Ruapehu. Then Marist (twice), Pirates, Taihape and Ruapehu had successful challenges.
This year's Challenge Shield sequence:
¦ Border 21, Ruapehu 18 - Ohakune
¦ Border 48, Utiku OB 15 - Taihape
¦ Border 48, Pirates 22 - Waverley
¦ Border 19, Kaierau 10 - Kaierau
¦ Border 54, Taihape 20 - Taihape
¦ Marist 30, Border 22 - Spriggens Park.
¦ Pirates 32, Marist 29 - Spriggens Park.
¦ Pirates 38, Ngamatapouri 5 - Ngamatapouri.
¦Taihape 40, Pirates 24 - Taihape.
¦ Taihape 45, Kaierau 20 - Kaierau.
¦ Taihape 53, Ngamatapouri 24 - Taihape.
¦Ruapehu 17, Taihape 3 - Ohakune.
¦ Marist 48, Ruapehu 17 - Spriggens Park.
¦ Marist 48, Taihape 22 - Spriggens Park.
Last season the shield changed hands four times before Ruapehu prized it off Marist 43-19 at Rochfort Park and withstood three challenges before winning the trophy for a second successive year. Earlier Border had lifted the shield 47-17 off the "Mountain Men" at Dallison Park but lost 36-30 away to Taihape who in turn went down 20-17 against Marist at Spriggens Park who crashed against Ruapehu.
Pirates (26-5 away against Border) and Taihape (10-5 at home v Pirates) held the trophy during 2015 until Ruapehu dethroned Taihape 41-22 in the first defence at Ohakune and the home team repelled the final three challenges of the year.
There was a feast of shield movement during 2014 with nine different winners before Border took it off Marton 15-3 at Marton Park and hammered Marist 65-14 on Dallison Park in the final challenge. Earlier Ratana took it off Ruapehu 10-3 in Ohakune, Taihape collected a 17-0 home win over Ratana, Border took the trophy off Taihape 36-31 seven days later, Ratana recaptured the trophy 25-19 at home the next weekend, Ruapehu beat Ratana 20-15 in Ohakune, Border won 28-13 against Ruapehu 18-13 in Waverley, Taihape beat visiting Border 29-7 and Marton stripped Taihape 16-15 on Memorial Park in the first defence.
With Border lifting the shield three times, Ratana and Taihape twice each and Ruapehu and Marton also in the action there was no joy for the Metropolitan city clubs. This followed success for Ruapehu and Border the previous year (2013) when Border beat 2012 holders Pirates 16-15 early in the season on Spriggens Park but after five defences along came Ruapehu with a 21-6 home victory and then went unbeaten to win the shield for the first time.
It had been a similar story a year earlier when Pirates won the trophy for the first time since the turn of the century.
Border pipped defending shield holders Kaierau 27-26 at the Devon Road Country Club, dropped the trophy 53-7 away to Ruapehu the next weekend with Pirates coming to life five weeks later with a 16-13 victory on Rochfort Park.
Pirates withstood six challenges before proudly engraving the club's name on the Shield for the first time.

First Century
Pirates' 125-0 thumping of Ratana last weekend was the highest winning margin by a premier team on Spriggens Park in the past quarter of a century and was the first time the club had reached triple figures.

It was the 10th premier "century" in the union and ironically Ratana holds the park highest score of 126-3 against Wanganui and OB in 2004.
There have been two other "centuries" at the ground since the mid 1990s - Marist 107-0 v Wanganui and OB in 2001 and Kaierau 100-8 v Marist in 2005.
The union record score of Kaierau 168-0 v Waiouru was recorded at the Kaierau Country Club in 1997. Second highest score of Kaierau 133-0 v Marton in 2005 was also at the Devon Road complex.

Ratana, like Kaierau, has recorded three triple scores including 104-5 v Tech in 2000 and 102-5 v Pourewa in 2002 in home fixtures. Waverley beat BCOB 110-7 at Dallison Park in 1995 and Ruapehu beat Marton 116-0 at Rochfort Park in 2010.
There have been 12 scores in the 90s - Ratana 99-0 v Wanganui OB at Spriggens Park 2001; Taihape 99-0 v Wanganui OB at Taihape 2000; Kaierau 98-8 Pirates v Ruapehu at Spriggens Park 1997; 95-0 Kaierau v Ratana at Ratana 2005; 95-0 Marist v Waiouru at Spriggens Park 1997; 95-3 Border v Ratana at Waverley 2016; 95-20 Waiouru v Ratana at Waiouru 1998; 93-12 Marist v Marton at Spriggens Park 2010; 92-0 Tech v Waiouru at Spriggens Park 1997; 92-3 Tech v Pirates at Sprigens Park 1996; 90-8 Pirates v Pourewa at Spriggens Park 1999; and 90-11 Kaierau v Pourewa at Marton Park 2002.