While the Eastern Northern Barbarians have been crowned Southland premier grade champions for 2026, the finals for the Division 1, 2 and 3 competitions will be played this Saturday. The women’s competition final will also be played between Pioneer and Star at Les George Oval at 2.30pm on Saturday. Pioneer beat Wakatipu 72-10 in one semi-final, while Star advanced with a 41-20 win over Marist. Wyndham and Edendale have been the two most consistent teams in the Division 1 competition over the last decade. The two neighbouring clubs will meet in another Ack Soper Shield final at Wyndham this Saturday at 2.30pm. Wyndham are the defending champions and have won all 14 of their games this season. Edendale finished second on the competition points table after winning nine of their 14 games. Wyndham earned a convincing 43-14 win over Riverton in last weekend's semi-final. Andrew Howe played his 200th game for Wyndham — his commitment to the club is matched by his wife, Ashlee Howe, who has been a valuable contributor in the Wyndham clubhouse kitchen over the last 10 years. Edendale beat Pioneer 46-30 in the second semi-final. The Magpies scored six tries in the keenly contested match. Pioneer started strongly but Edendale absorbed the pressure and went into half time on even terms. A gritty final 40 minutes led by the veteran Edendale forwards Phillip Brown and Adam Muir was enough to book the final position. During the round-robin phase of the season, Wyndham beat Edendale 28-19 in April and 29-23 in June. Those close results have given Edendale the belief that they can get up to win the Ack Soper Shield on Saturday. Central Pirates will take on Mossburn in Mossburn at 2.30pm on Saturday in the 2026 Division 2 grand final. Central Pirates caused a major upset when they defeated Midlands in their semi-final in Winton. Midlands had beaten Central Pirates by 70 points on each of the two occasions they met during the round-robin phase. Midlands had cruised through the Division 2 season but were under pressure from the start last weekend. Central Pirates led throughout the game before the locals fought back to draw level at 31-31 at the end of normal time. Central Pirates scored a converted try in the first 10-minute period of extra time and held on for a dramatic 38-31 win in front of a raucous crowd. Mossburn progressed after knocking over Ohai-Nightcaps-Otautau 39-12 in Nightcaps in the other semifinal. Drummond Limehills Star and Bluff will contest the Division 3 final at Limehills at 2.30pm on Saturday. DLS beat Marist B 29-5 in one semifinal at Drummond while Bluff advance to the Gerald Dermody Trophy final after their 29-20 win over Waiau Star.
