Trivia question for you - when did Owaka last win five games in a season?
Coach Steve Clement was stumped initially. So was back-up hooker and country rugby stalwart Francis Parker, although he did eventually get there after some research.
Owaka has been the easy-beat, the battler, the perennial wooden-spooner for so long that no-one really expects much
Not so this year. This year Owaka is firmly in the playoff race.
It beat Toko 36-34 in an arm wrestle late last month to collect its fifth win from eight games.
It is tucked into third place with 30 points. Crescent has seven wins from eight games and leads the standings with 36 points. Clutha is second on 35 points, while Heriot is in fourth on 29 points.
There is a decent gap to fifth-placed Roxburgh on 16 points.
Clement believes the turnaround started 12 months ago.
"Last year we made big improvements," he said.
"For the first time in a long time we actually won three games and got off the bottom of the ladder, finally.
"We've been the traditional minnows of the comp. But we got some confidence out of the wins we had last year and we've taken another step this year.
"The top four is unfamiliar territory. But now, because we came from the bottom of the heap, we've got a target on our backs. So every game is getting harder.
"And it is a tight comp too."
Owaka can make a large step towards securing a semifinal appearance this weekend. It will need to beat defending champion Clutha.
The match is at Owaka and the Art Bloxham Cup is on the line. Clutha clinched a tense win in the opening round. But it was a tremendous encounter which could have gone either way, Clement said.
He played for Owaka during the 1990s and recalls the centennial year in 1993 being more productive than most so that might have been the last time Owaka won at least five games in the season.
He guessed right. Parker confirmed it after some research.
If Owaka wins tomorrow, the question will need upgrading to six wins in a season.