Darry Worthington takes a look at the 2019 Mitre 10 Cup Premiership and Championship semi-finals which are being held between Friday the 18th of October and Saturday the 19th of October.
The World Cup reaches its quarter-final phase this week, but it’s not just in Japan where things have reached the do-or-die phase with the 2019 Mitre Cup semi-finals kicking off this weekend.
There are some cracking semi-finals in-store with the pick of the action likely to be the Wellington versus Canterbury game.
Bay of Plenty v Manawatu
Friday 18 October
Rotorua International Stadium
To Win (80 Mins)
Bay of Plenty
Draw
Manawatu
*odds to be added on release
Bay of Plenty will take on somewhat surprising semi-finalists, Manawatu, in the opening all-Championship affair.
The hosts enjoyed a solid Round-Robin phase winning eight of their ten games on their way to topping the standings and rights to a home final should they beat the visitors this weekend.
Manawatu had a far tougher time of it this term only registering four wins from their ten fixtures. All of these victories have come with All Blacks, Ngani Laumape in the side, which is rather worrying considering the big man picked up an injury during last weekend’s 33-7 victory over Counties.
Bay of Plenty fared alright in Round 10 as well as they beat a dogged Southland outfit 22-10, with the of Bay’s points coming late in the second stanza.
Verdict: Bay of Plenty
If Laumape is out the hosts will win it by more than 15. If the All Black plays then it’s likely to be a far tighter game, but the result will be the same.
____________________________________________________________
Tasman v Auckland
Saturday 19 October
Lansdowne Park
To Win (80 Mins)
Tasman
Draw
Auckland
*odds to be added on release
Next up it’s a clash between the Premiership Champions elect and the reigning Premiership Champions with Tasman playing host to Auckland.
The Markos has been outstanding this term and secured top spot on the Premiership ladder having not lost a game. They come into this one off of a solid hit out, beating Hawke’s Bay 28-47.
Auckland have struggled during the Premiership reign and only snuck it the semi-finals by a solitary point. They won only five of their games this term while drawing another two. They will be in a rather confident mood, however, after beating Taranaki 11-35.
Verdict: Tasman
The Markos will be far too much more a hit-and-miss Blues side. My money is on them winning this one by more than 15.
____________________________________________________________
Hawke’s Bay v Otago
Saturday 19 October
McLean Park
To Win (80 Mins)
Hawke’s Bay
Draw
Otago
*odds to be added on release
Hawke’s Bay will be looking to rediscover some form when they take on a dangerous yet highly unpredictable Otago outfit.
The Magpies finished second on the Championship ladder with seven wins and a draw to their names. Their only two defeats have come over the last fortnight, however, as they went down 22-10 to Counties and 28-47 to Tasman, with the former result far more shocking than the latter.
Otago – who finished third with only five wins from their ten games – also head into this one off a big loss. Going down 40-10 to un-fancied Northland last weekend.
Verdict: Hawke’s Bay
This should be an absolute belter of a game and I fancy Otago to run the host close, but the Magpies will have enough to get over the line.
_______________________________________________________
Wellington v Canterbury
Saturday 19 October
Westpac Stadium
To Win (80 Mins)
Wellington
Draw
Canterbury
*odds to be added on release
The most successful team in the tournament will be looking to advance to yet another final when they take on the attacking machine that is Wellington.
The hosts scored 321 from their ten round-robin phase games at an average off just of 32 points per game. They were in fine attacking form last weekend as they beat Waikato 39-21.
Canterbury also notched up a bonus-point win during Round 10 as they beat North Harbour 31-25 in a fiery old contest.
Verdict: Canterbury 1/1While Wellington are a fantastic attacking side, semi-finals rugby is where Canterbury thrive. I can see the hosts winning this one and setting up a final against local rivals Tasman.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets
