Heartland playoffs coming down to the wire

By Jared Smith

It was lights, cameras, action in the penultimate round of the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship as the defending Meads Cup champions continued their unbeaten streak and New Zealand’s oldest inter-union trophy was contested in prime time.

There was a Crusaders franchise unions’ triple derby at Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday as two Heartland matches bookended the Canterbury vs Tasman NPC clash.

In the opening match, South Canterbury’s will to take control in second halves led them to a 50-35 win over Ashburton neighbours Mid Canterbury.

Extending their Heartland record to 28-straight victories, South Canterbury trailed 25-21 at halftime, the fourth consecutive game this has occurred.

Mid Canterbury’s first-five Josh Jennings (20 points) opened the scoring with the first of three penalties while converting both first half tries.

But you just can’t hold back South Canterbury’s big ball-runners, as a 17-point scoring burst after halftime through to the 64^th minute had the favourites away again.

Jennings scored a converted try to narrow the gap to 38-35 with seven minutes left, but South Canterbury scored two more tries in the last four minutes to lock-in top of the table and guarantee both a home semifinal and final should they progress that far.

Winger Kalavini Leatigaga scored a hat-trick of tries, while lock Anthony Amato got a double, the team rewarding prop Tokomaata Fakatava with a win in his 50^th game.

South Canterbury retained the Hanan Shield, and while that prize has plenty of history, nothing stirs the passion quite like the Rundle Cup – as Buller and West Coast clashed in the evening match.

Also down at halftime, 8-3, a strong second half by Buller carried them to a 29-11 upset, retaining the Cup, giving themselves a lifeline to reach the Lochore Cup playoffs, and removing their neighbours from Meads Cup contention.

Centre Michael Stringer scored two crucial second half tries for the victors, while West Coast winger Logan Ross scored all his team’s points.

The Rundle Cup is the oldest active inter-union trophy in the country, with only the Ranfurly Shield older among all provincial prizes.

A phenomenally competitive rivalry, in 127 years the neighbours have met 226 times, with West Coast winning 106 games, Buller now 105, and there have been 15 draws.

Up in Ruatoria, there was another milestone as Ngāti Porou East Coast shook off the disappointment of their loss to Steelform Whanganui to keep their Top 4 spot by beating King Country 29-11 in winger Verdon Bartlett’s 100^th game.

Leading 17-6 at halftime in what was now the last Bill Osborne Taonga defence of 2023, East Coast scored two more tries to take a bonus point and remain in fourth with a three-point buffer heading into next weekend’s vital away clash with Thames Valley.

The Swampfoxes will need to give it everything to hold onto their home semifinal spot, after a dramatic converted try in the final minute saw North Otago sneak by them 34-33 in lock Josh Clark’s 50^th game.

Down 23-14 at halftime in Maheno, North Otago chipped away at Thames Valley’s lead, ultimately out-scoring them five tries to four, although the visitors also slotted three penalties.

Still taking two priceless bonus points, Thames Valley are equal with Whanganui, and if that stays the same after the Week 8 games, they will get priority for the semifinal due to winning the clash between the sides 36-33 right back in Week 1.

North Otago’s win means they are the only side outside the Top 4 with a mathematical chance of reaching the Top 4, as they will head to the West Coast to play a home side fighting to save their Lochore Cup place.

Bottom-table Horowhenua-Kapiti now have virtually nothing to lose heading into their Bruce Steel Memorial Cup challenge to Whanganui, after a 31-17 loss to Poverty Bay in Levin.

While still in touch at halftime, trailing 20-17, the home side could not find another way through, as Poverty Bay took the final Lochore Cup berth in eighth, although with all four teams below them in striking distance and South Canterbury as their last match, they will be lucky to keep it.

Results, Week 7
East Coast bt King Country 29-11. HT: 17-6.
South Canterbury bt Mid Canterbury 50-35. HT: 25-21 Mid Canterbury.
Poverty Bay bt Horowhenua-Kapiti 31-17. HT: 20-17.
North Otago bt Thames Valley 34-33. HT: 23-14 Thames Valley.
Buller bt West Coast 29-11. HT: 8-3 West Coast.
Whanganui bt Wairarapa-Bush 36-18. HT: 15-13

2023 Heartland Championship Table
Pos.#	Team	P	W	L	D	Bpts	F	A	+/-	Pts
1	South Canterbury	7	7	–	–	7	300	149	+151	35
2	Thames Valley	7	5	2	–	7	215	194	+21	27*
3	Whanganui	7	5	2	–	7	206	137	+72	27*
4	Ngāti Porou East Coast	7	5	2	–	5	196	152	+44	25
5	North Otago	7	4	3	–	6	247	201	+46	22
6	Wairarapa Bush	7	3	4	–	4	157	218	-61	17
7	West Coast	7	3	4	–	4	191	200	-9	16
8	Poverty Bay	7	2	5	–	7	198	208	-10	15
9	Mid Canterbury	7	2	5	–	6	193	212	-19	14
10	Buller	7	2	5	–	5	137	209	-72	13
11	King Country	7	2	5	–	2	142	220	-78	11
12	Horowhenua-Kapiti	7	2	5	–	3	157	242	-85	11