Last time Whanganui played qualifying-round games at both Ashburton and Timaru in the same season (2017) the home teams won both times (MC 40-39 and SC 21-17), but the Butcher Boys returned to Timaru five weeks later to win a Meads Cup semifinal 29-24.
Because of Covid-19, 10 of the 12 Heartland unions arranged rep fixtures against nearby neighbours with Thames Valley and West Coast electing not to play at all, the Swamp Foxes for the first time since 1944 and the Coasters since 1918.
The Heartland unions had unanimously voted to hold their championship competition over for a year to save the NZRU, which was facing a massive operational loss, about $1 million.
The same 2020 draw will operate this season but with Bunnings Warehouse replacing Mitre 10 as the naming sponsors.
Wairarapa-Bush (four wins and a loss) and Whanganui (three wins and a loss) were the top-performing North Island unions last year.
The records of the 12 Heartland unions in 2020 were –
Buller (3 losses) – Mid Canterbury 17-44 at Hanmer Springs, South Canterbury 10-78 away and 28-66 home.
East Coast (3 losses) – Poverty Bay 31-34 away and 16-42 home, King Country 22-34 at Opotiki.
Horowhenua-Kapiti (3 losses) – Whanganui 7-36 home, Wairarapa-Bush 8-43 home and 24-42 away.
King Country (2 wins, l loss) – Beat Whanganui 16-11 (Pinetree Log) home, East Coast 34-11 at Opotiki, lost to Wairarapa-Bush 18-22 away.
Mid Canterbury (3 wins, 1 draw) – Beat Buller 41-17 at Hanmer Springs, North Otago 30-7 home and 35-17 away, drew 31-all with South Canterbury away.
North Otago (5 losses) – Canterbury 7-73 (Ranfurly Shield) away, South Canterbury 7-24 home and 29-37 away, Mid Canterbury 7-30 away and 17-35 home.
Poverty Bay (2 wins, 2 losses) – Beat East Coast 34-31 home and 42-16 away, lost to Whanganui 38-41 and Wairarapa-Bush 26-46 both in Napier.
South Canterbury (4 wins, 1draw) – Beat Buller 18-10 home and 66-28 away, North Otago 24-7 away and 37-29 home, drew 31-all with Mid Canterbury home.
Wairarapa-Bush (4 wins 1 loss) – Beat Horowhenua-Kapiti 48-8 away and 47-24 home (Bruce Steel Cup), King Country 22-18 home, Poverty Bay 48-26 at Napier, lost to Whanganui 8-29 home (Bruce Steel Cup).
Whanganui (3 wins, l loss) – Beat Wairarapa-Bush 29-8 home (Bruce Steel Cup), Horowhenua-Kapiti 36-7 away (Bruce Steel Cup), Poverty Bay 41-38 at Napier, lost to King Country 11-16 away (Pinetree Log).
Clare third equal
Whanganui fullback Craig Clare finished third equal in last year's Heartland regional points, scoring with 41 points from three matches.
Clare, now 36, has scored 308 points in his 31 appearances for the Butcher Boys since 2016, including 117 in 2018 when he was pipped by a single point for the top Heartland points scorer of the season by Horowhenua-Kapiti's loan first-five goal-kicker Janes So'olalo from Tawa who was the key factor in the Levin union winning the Lochore Cup.
The previous year Clare scored 97 points for Meads Cup champions Whanganui who beat Horowhenua-Kapiti 30-14 in the final.
Last season first-five Faalele Iosua topped the limited-season points-scoring with 48 points for unbeaten South Canterbury, three ahead of his Mid Canterbury first-five rival Nathan McCloy.
Another No.10 player, Sam Morison (Wairarapa-Bush), finished level with Clare on 41.
Whanganui's Dane Whale, who has scored 135 points for the union in 49 games since 2014, scored 21 last year.
The top try-scorers in 2020 were Poverty Bay winger Matthew Raleigh with five and South Canterbury loose forward Sale Savelio with four.
Horrocks missing
Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau will be happy Heartland halfback Lindsay Horrocks will be absent when the city side confronts Waverley Harvesting Border at Dallison Park on Saturday.
It is a key fourth-round game for the only two unbeaten premier clubs in numerous respects – the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield is at stake as well as the continuing quest to win the Metropolitan domestic title, and the Paul Mitchell Cup-Grand Café Voucher first- round championship.
Horrocks, who scored a try in both Border-Kaierau games last winter, is serving out the second week of a two-match suspension for striking a Settlers Honey Ngamatapouri player.
The 73-match rep halfback, who has 78 points for the union, scored a try when Kaierau claimed a 19-16 home victory last year to lift the Grand Shield, a win that also eventually clinched the Mitchell Cup , and Horrocks scored again in the 32-18 return home success to regain the Challenge Shield.
The two teams share the competition lead after collecting home victories last weekend – Border maintaining an unbeaten record against Byford's Readimix Taihape at Dallison Park with a vital 39-22 success when the 2019 and 2020 finalists clashed, and Kaierau coming from a 5-13 halftime deficit to beat Ngamatapouri 27-13 at the Devon Road Country Club.
Border are the top try-scoring side in the six-team competition with 20, but have conceded seven compared with only three by the maroons who have scored 13 times. Ten Border squad members have scored tries headed by rep winger Vereniki Tikoisolomone with seven and front-rower Ross McDonald with three. Ethan Robinson, the top points-scorer in last year's limited club season and with 43 points from three games this year, and 2019 rep winger Karl Pascoe have each scored three tries for Kaierau.
Even with Horrocks out and top goalkicker Nick Harding injured, the attacking strike power of Border will prove a major problem for the so-far reliable Kaierau defence. Kaierau, however, have won at Waverley in 2019 (23-21), 2012 (23-16) and 2011 (17-6) and have the ability to worry the playing-through champions if the rampant home raiders can be contained.
This year Border have scored 132 points and conceded 46 compared with Kaierau's 93-23.
After a mediocre display last Saturday, Taihape will be looking for a much better team effort when Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist visit Memorial Park on Saturday.
Since a double success in 2017 – 26-23 away and 48-22 in the city – Marist have lost six on end against Taihape with the closest margin 19-18 at Spriggens Park last season, but it was a 36-10 loss up north.
Marist notched a first 2021 consolation bonus point in a 22-29 loss to McCarthy Transport Ruapehu in Ohakune last Saturday but will find Northern Wanganui domestic champions Taihape a much tougher proposition.
Taihape has scored 17 tries (11 against) compared with Marist's 6-14 with in-form Ben Whale (four tries) heading a strong forward unit and his brothers Dane (32 points) and Luke in the back line. Eleven Taihape squad members have been in try-scoring action.
Although unbeaten in four previous trips up the Waitotara Valley, including a 62-43 win last year, Ruapehu will still have memories of a historic 33-17 home loss in the first round last season, the first defeat against the opposition.
Ngamatapouri have several elusive Pacific Islands players, headed by charging Jim Seruwalu who scored during a fine first spell at Kaierau at Saturday before the hosts took over control.
Senior champions Harvey Round Motors Ratana defend the Stihl Shop Wanganui Challenge Shield in Waverley this weekend and fellow unbeaten co-leaders Kelso Hunterville host third-placed Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau.
Buffalos meet Utiku OB at Spriggens Park and there are also home games for Ruapehu (v Ali Arc Logistics-DNA Kennels Marist Celtic), Speirs Food Marton (v Black Bull Liquor Pirates) and Bennett's Taihape (v McCrea Scanning Counties).
