WARWICK SMITH/Stuff
Old Boys-Marist and Feilding Yellows have an important top-four clash at Johnston Park this weekend.
RUGBY: A win for either Feilding and Old Boys-Marist this weekend will be good tonic for their hopes of locking in a spot in the top two.
The two sides clash at Johnston Park on Saturday in what should be the match of the round.
Varsity are clear at the top of the table, but there’s not much between OBM and Yellows in the next two positions on the ladder.
Feilding, who beat College Old Boys 38-25 last weekend, are second and if they are able to beat third-placed OB-Marist, who are three points behind, it will help solidify their spot in the top two.
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OB-Marist will be fresh coming off the bye last week and will be out to reverse their 22-16 loss in the first round.
OBM are six points ahead of fourth-place COB, so a win will help keep the pressure off.
A resurgent Kia Toa head to Rongotea to take on Te Kawau looking to keep the heat on the top four.
Kia Toa thrashed Freyberg 71-25 last weekend and it will be a hard game for Te Kawau, who have been gutsy while undermanned in the past couple of weeks, including their 40-12 loss to Varsity last week.
It was a 26-all draw in the first round where Kia Toa had to come back late in the game to level the scores.
Freyberg will be looking to bounce back after a heavy loss when they host College Old Boys at Colquhoun Park.
Freyberg copped a hiding from Kia Toa last week and will want to improve on their one win this season.
COB, who won this encounter 29-14 in the first round, will also be hurting after their loss to Feilding last week.
In the women’s competition, all games will be at Kimbolton to honour Manawatū and Feilding Old Boys-Ōroua forward Ashleigh Knight, who died after falling from the back of a utility vehicle in December.
The inaugural Ashleigh Knight Memorial Trophy will be on the line when FOB-Ōroua play Kia Toa.
Kia Toa have been the form side and won this match 41-29 in the first round. FOB-Ōroua are coming off a strong 68-0 win over Bush, while Kias won 53-19 over Old Boys-Marist last week.
Old Boys-Marist play Bush in the other top-four game.
There is a bottom-three clash between Ashhurst Pohangina and Whanganui Metro.
The Feilding High School first XV beat Rathkeale College 47-7 from Masterton in the Central North Island competition at Feilding on Thursday to retain the Robert Hickland Memorial Trophy.
They host St John’s College Hamilton next weekend.
The Palmerston North Boys’ High School first XV will play Napier Boys’ High School in Napier on Saturday for the Polson Banner.
♦ Former Manawatū rugby rep Phil Temperton died on the Gold Coast on Sunday, having been diagnosed with cancer a few weeks earlier.
A former police officer who played for COB, he played 17 games for Manawatū in 1962-63 and 1966 as a wing, scoring five tries. He also played for New Zealand Police and Combined Services.
Saturday’s draw:
Men, 2.45pm: Feilding v OB-Marist, Johnston Park; Te Kawau v Kia Toa, Rongotea; Freyberg v COB, Colquhoun Park; Varsity bye.
Women, all games at Kimbolton: Top four: OB-Marist v Bush, 2.30pm; FOB-Ōroua v Kia Toa, 2.45pm. Bottom three: Ashhurst Pohangina v Whanganui Metro, 2.30pm; Wairarapa Wahine bye.
