Otago is walking into the last-chance saloon tonight.
Win, and if results fall its way, the blue and golds could see semifinal action next week.
Lose, and the side is definitely gone for the season, ensconced in the cellar of New Zealand provincial rugby.
So there is plenty to play for. Motivation should not be lacking.
But drive and desire can only take you so far.
Execution has to be the key word for Otago tonight.
It must play as a cohesive unit, do the basics well and take any chance that comes along.
Otago coach Tony Brown has been preaching that all season and now it comes down to 80 minutes.
There is also the fact it could be Brown's final game in charge, as he moves up to the Highlanders.
Brown said this week he was not one for sentiment and the match was not about him and his departure from the Otago coaching ranks.
''It's not really something to think about for me. The performance is what matters.
"Guys playing well, putting their hands up for Super rugby selection and doing all they can,'' he said.
''For us to win we've got to get out there and put on a polished performance and engage as a team.
"Play together and stick together in everything we do.''
Manawatu though will not be easy. It has lost just twice this season, leads the ITM Cup Championship, and a win will guarantee it home advantage in the finals.
In the previous two years Otago has faced Manawatu it has scored more than 50 points and there were 93 points shared between the two teams at Forsyth Barr Stadium last year.
Those expecting the same avalanche of points tonight are likely to be disappointed.
Manawatu is a well-disciplined side defensively while Otago has been struggling to find the tryline of late, having scored just one four-try bonus point all season.
Brown said Manawatu was a side to be wary of.
''They are just playing really well as a team ... they have got some exciting backs and some tough forwards who work hard. All 15 players are playing well and are going to be hard to stop when they get a roll-on.''
Otago needs to tackle better than it has in the past couple of games and just cut out the sloppy errors. Loose forwards Hugh Blake and James Lentjes need big games as does the Otago front row.
The inside back pairing of Josh Renton and Peter Breen have a chance to show their abilities after bit-part appearances this season.
Hayden Parker was confirmed for the reserves yesterday, passing a fitness test over a shoulder injury.
If Otago does win tonight it will need both Southland, which plays Hawkes Bay in Napier tomorrow, and North Harbour which takes on Wellington, also tomorrow, in the capital, to lose to make the semifinals.
Whether there is any merit in making the semifinals when the side is the 11th-best province in the country is a question for another day.
The competition is obviously not perfect. Manawatu does not play Taranaki, Tasman and Canterbury - the best three teams in the country this season - because of the structure of the draw.
But the cards have been dealt. Otago must play its hand well tonight to be in the next round.
