The wrap
That wind was something else last weekend, and some rain and hail made it a great day out all round.
The Sharks took 80 minutes to beat the Onion but the abiding memory will be Dunedin halfback Luke Donaldson missing his pivot and the ball going dead 60m away.
The Eels put away Kaik but with some difficulty.
In the Cavanagh, at Bog Bathgate, the Magpies endured but only just over Varsity, which now falls two points out of the four - but don't panic.
The Pirates pack routed the Spannerheads at the Toolbox to continue their climb up the table.
I'm afraid the winless Spannerheads are currently a long and lonely last - even with a mysterious new coach joining the ranks.
The Hawks keep on winning, beating the Colours for the Scoles.
The Highlanders playoff
It all comes down to this.
Can we beat the Chiefs this weekend and, in all probability, go on to beat the Hurricanes and make our first final in 16 years?
As long as we don't sustain any key injuries, this team is playing well enough to make the finals.
We have 22,000 (sold out) turning up tomorrow night convinced we are good enough to get past the Chiefs.
By their own standards, they haven't been playing well but Sam Cane is back this weekend and he is playing some serious code.
How good is Ben Tameifuna, the big prop, going for them?
Remember when they kicked him out of the ABs for failing the skinfold test because all they could find was ''fold''?
He is proving it's not all about tests.
What about Brad Weber considered not good enough to play for Otago?
He has started for the Chiefs for most of the year ahead of a current All Black and don't be surprised when he gets named in the ABs squad on Sunday.
If that happens, I may give you the real story on why this province shunned him!
I am confident with the way our boys are going at present.
We can tear their head-dresses off this weekend - take it to the bank.
Premier colts
Apart from runaway leader Southern, this grade is incredibly tight, perhaps best exemplified by the fact that there have been 10 draws in eight rounds.
Taieri and Otago Boys' have three each - I kid you not.
The Magpies stumbled last weekend for the first time and drew with Varsity.
We would have known more this weekend when the top two sides, the Magpies and AU, were drawn to play.
But I hear both Super Coaches (Belcher and Columb) are running scared and the game has been deferred.
Six teams - Magpies, A-U, Makos, Otago Boys', Taieri and Varsity - can make the four. There are five rounds to go and 40 points will get you in.
Garish referees
Harty, who dresses these guys?
They stand out far too much.
I watched a game at Bayfield a couple of Sundays ago and, I kid you not, the first half went for 60 minutes.
Harty, get your sponsors to supply some batteries!
We had a new premier referee, Buddy, doing the Dunedin-Onion game at the weekend and, by the look of him, he's been around the block.
He made the longest speech in history afterwards and commented he didn't know what was going on in the front rows so just let the players sort it out themselves.
Fifteen collapsed scrums later, we finished.
In the premier 2 game between the same clubs, Joh,n from Cambridge was the exchange programme ref.
He has been reffing for some time.
Not surprisingly, one of the Dunedin props who shall remain nameless (but he spends a lot of time at the stadium) was penalised at one stage and quipped: ''Which rest home were you evacuated from?''.
He got marched another 10m but you'd agree it was worth it!
Fifa watch
So Mali is gone, unluckily pipped by Serbia. Diadie, we loved having you mate - safe travels.
The word is 350 officials arrived for the tourney (that's not counting fishheads) including five tailors to make suits for the fishheads that arrived naked.
You've got to love Sepp and Fifa - give him another term.
The goss
Greg Cooper is back in town working at Cutlers and helping out at the Toolbox.
From memory, he has never won a club game in town and that continued at the weekend - good on ya, mate.
There is a rumour the linesman changed his story in the confessional over the red card incident with Ratu Dawai in the Hawks-Eels game, thus Ratu got off with time served.
Did Abramovich get to him and pay him off?
The rumour is the new Highlanders owners could be named soon - more next week!
Oh, by the way, I killed the Varsity premier 2 streak - they lost at the weekend.
This weekend
Destroyed Breeny in his 100th last weekend and on to Highlanders chief Roger Clark but I may dip out.
The Magpies will slaughter the Sharks (12-) for the Ron Reggett but I'd rather propose a toast to Reggie at his 70th than pick them.
The Eels (12-) may sneak home over Varsity away but it could go either way.
The Hawks (13+) should get it done over the Onion at the fillet factory for the newly created Ross Godman Trophy.
Kaik (13+) will be too strong for the Spannerheads as they will rust and seize up on the High Veldt.
Pirates (12-) are on a roll and may just tip over the Colours at Bastion Point.
