When Central Otago rugby rivals Upper Crusa and Wakatipu fought in Wanaka in mid-May, the match was a spectacular 32-32 draw.
Well, they won’t be back in every square this weekend.
It’s a semi-final, so we need a winner. This means that if you are level pegging again after 80 minutes, you will need extra time.
Wakatip, who hasn’t played in the Central Final since 2017, was very popular in this year’s final until Cromwell Goat overturned it two Saturdays ago.
This means that Wakatipu has to cross the crown range again and head for Wanaka. In Wanaka, the visiting team hasn’t won this season, including Upper Crusa winner Brady Kingan (95 points) and Flying Winger Adam Breen (what a wonderful). 13 trials).
Wakatip scored 67 tries in nine games, scoring 32 and 33 points against Upper Crusa and Cromwell Goat, respectively.
Can I shut down the Upper Cruiser this time? It will be a fascinating contest.
Goat will extend the series of Grand Final appearances to five as he works on the upsetter Maniototo at Anderson Park last weekend.
Interestingly, open-side specialist Daniel Haring wears the 12th jersey again.
The goat selector turned to Haring after losing two midfielders in preparation for an important encounter with Wakatip. That was his influence when he won the Best Player Award.
He and his captain / halfback Ben Maxwell will be individuals who need to control whether Maniototo repeats a shocking upset victory over Arrowtown.
Maggot has his own superstars, including full-back Doug Smith, who scored 16 points at Arrowtown’s expense, and captain Peter O’Malley, who holds the highest position in the lineout.
The goat defeated Maniototo 46-12 when he collided a month ago, but Maniototo had a hard time putting the team in the paddock at the time because of Covid.
-Bob Howit