Tasman will be looking to retain their spot at the top of the Premiership standings when they take on Hawke’s Bay on Thursday the 11th of October.
Tasman and Hawke’s Bay will square off in one of the most pivotal clashes of the final round-robin set of fixtures. The hosts are looking to retain their spot at the top of the Premiership standings while Hawke’s Bay are looking to book a home Championship semi-final.
Tasman v Hawke’s Bay
Thursday 11 October
Trafalgar Park
08:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Tasman 1/11
Draw 30/1
Hawke’s Bay 6/1
Tasman
This is a monumental clash for Tasman who will be wanting to secure the five-point haul so as to guarantee themselves a home semi-final and also put pressure on an Auckland side who are in the pound seat when it comes to claiming first place on the Championship standings.
Tasman do face a tricky encounter here as Hawke’s Bay are also playing for a home semi-final and will be extremely fired up headed into this one. The hosts do head into this one off the back of a solid victory over a Championship side, however, as they saw off Otago 21-47 last Sunday.
Hawke’s Bay
While the visitors are already guaranteed a Championship semi-final berth they will be extremely keen to get the win here, which would see them book a home semi-final. This will be easier said than done, however, as Tasman have been in good touch and have a very handy home record.
The Bay head into this of an impressive 45-17 victory over Manawatu. That victory arrested a two-game losing streak and will give them a massive confidence boost ahead of this one.
Verdict: Tasman 1/11
The hosts know they need a bonus-point win here to ply the pressure on Auckland. I expect them to do just this and take Thursday’s clash by 16 points or more.
