Sumner wing Cormack Tarrant looks to offload to fullback Seb Cox against Burnside on Saturday. Photo: Tony Brunt Photography

Sumner will need a win to keep their Metro Premiership finals hopes alive when they face Sydenham in a do-or-die clash on Saturday.

Head coach Gareth D’Almeida said the match is effectively an elimination final for both sides.

“It’s a knockout match for both of us really, whoever loses is out of top eight contention and whoever wins it is most likely in it, that’s how it boils down,” he said.

Sumner sits 10th on the ladder, level on 18 points with ninth-placed Belfast. Sydenham is eighth on 22 points.

A bonus-point win would see Sumner move above Sydenham with one round-robin game remaining.

Their final match is against Shirley, who are yet to win a game this season.

Sumner had been building momentum after a 31–24 win over second-placed Lincoln University two weeks ago, which secured them the DCL Shield.

Sumner halfback Max Goulter looks to spread the ball from the base of the scrum. Photo: Tony Brunt Photography

However, they were unable to back it up last Saturday, falling 33-27 to seventh-placed Burnside and making their finals equation more difficult.

“We’re disappointed, it would have made life a bit easier for us but that’s the way it goes sometimes,” D’Almeida said.

“We’re pretty fortunate and excited about an opportunity to still push into that eight this weekend.”

Injuries have also disrupted Sumner’s campaign, with four players going down before kick-off and second five-eighth Leo Williamson later forced off after 20 minutes.

“We’ve got a halfback on the wing, we’re reshuffling our backline for the third time, we had a front rower to No. 8,” he said.

“They’re just challenges you’ve got to overcome, but it certainly threw us, it cost us at the end.”

Despite the setbacks, D’Almeida said his side needed to tighten up defensively and improve at the breakdown.

“We’ve got to sort out our own areas, because if you repeat those mistakes, it doesn’t matter what their weaknesses are,” he said.

Lyttelton’s strong run in the Metro Premier reserve competition was halted, going down 23-17 to Belfast.

They sit in fifth spot on the ladder and will look to bounce back when they host 11th-placed New Brighton at 1pm on Saturday.