Maniototo co-coaches Andrew Hore and Hamish Wilson have the team going well and have their hands back on the White Horse Cup. The side is second-equal in the competition with Arrowtown.
Both teams have 25 competition points having won five and lost two games so far and have the same number of bonus points.Maniototo likes to assert dominance up front and hold the ball through numerous phases denying the opposition the ball.
Hard, uncompromising players, such as prop Tim O’Neill, Hore himself, lock Jamie Pickens and Sam Pringle are helping set the platform while the midfield of the experienced Mitchell Lake and the well-performed Angus Gibb seem to be pulling all the right strings for the Ranfurly-based side. Arrowtown has looked good in patches this season but has yet to put in a complete performance. If the home forwards can get a fair share of possession through the the in-form John Morrison, Aidan Winter and Ben Carr and get quality ball out to Isireli Nayaloga and Tom Grandiek in the backs, then Arrowtown will be very competitive.
There will be an even battle at the Clyde Domain between host Clyde Earnscleugh and Upper Clutha. Upper Clutha had the better of the game when the two sides last played, winning 22-17. Upper Clutha has the experience of Jai Baxter and Ben Purvis out the back with centre George Gilchrist in great form. The Upper Clutha loose forward combination of Reuben McLay, Fraser Dowling and No8 Jack Gilchrist has been in good form and could provide the difference.
The home side has had an indifferent start to the season but has some quality players working hard. Centre Keelan Baird has been in good touch as has fullback Tom Dickinson. Tom Dougherty is constantly a top performer in the midfield while No8 Blair van der Voort has also been performing well.
Matakanui Combined, which has shown improving form over the past few weeks, travels to take on Wakatipu in Queenstown. Wakatipu will be hurting after its loss to Maniototo last week and will be looking to bounce back. The Wakatipu coaching staff will be hoping the forward pack can get enough quality ball to set the backs under way. It could be a good time for the visiting team to gain its first win of the season.
Cromwell heads down the gorge to take on Alexandra on Molyneux Park in a game the visiting side should win according to the points table. Alexandra put in its worst performance of the season last week and will be hoping it was just a one-off. There has been no lack of effort from the Alexandra lads. Second five-eighth Macauley Little and centre Taura Wilson have been some of the better performers so far. Cromwell had a good win over its bogey team, Clyde Earnscleugh, last weekend, in arguably its best performance of the season. Ben Maxwell, who has relinquished the captaincy, looked to be playing with a lot more freedom and will be crucial to the Cromwell effort again this week.