Underdogs' time to scrap at top
A Friday afternoon meeting will always drag.
And by October, you would have heard Snoopy's Christmas at least once.
But you cannot always rely on the favourites getting through to the Dunedin division 1 final.
Teams placed fourth and sixth after the regular season will lock horns in the final at Forsyth Barr Stadium tomorrow afternoon.
Harbour edged University 32-28 and Taieri 15-10 to book their place.
And Kaikorai prevailed 25-16 against Taieri and 13-10 against Southern.
Dunedin, who set the benchmark for a good portion of the season, were tipped out in the opening round of the playoffs, and Taieri, who had a second life in the playoffs, were eliminated in the semifinals.
Kaikorai coach Andy Hunter said there was "just so little between all the teams all the way through the season that it never really sort of bothered us too much [to finish sixth]".
Both Kaikorai's playoff wins came down to a couple of key plays.
They defended with tenacity, and they have also made some big improvements up front.
Their scrum was dismantled by Southern earlier in the season, but they have adjusted.
Their game plan is still to push the ball wide quickly and probe for gaps on the flanks.
Loose forward duo Slade McDowall and captain Lucas Casey thrive when the game is played with width.
They will enjoy the dry track under the roof.
Harbour would probably prefer some mud so their big pack can go to work.
"They're a different team to us, that's for sure," Hunter said.
"They're a big physical pack ... a little bit similar to, say, Southern in that they've got some big ball-carriers and a big, strong tight five.
"We've just got to come up with some good plans to be able to manage them."
Kaikorai have beaten Harbour twice this season. Hunter described the 69-15 win earlier in the season as an "outlier".
The 24-20 at Watson Park on June 21 was a better indication. Ben Miller kicked three second-half penalties to help secure the win for Kaikorai.
Harbour coach Peter McIntyre expects it will be another close fixture.
"We've got quite a strong set-piece, but I think Kaik's set-piece is pretty strong as well," McIntyre said.
"I think they started to dominate that Southern eight in the second half of the semifinal.
"But each team has a different sort of style, which makes the final a little bit more interesting from that aspect.
"We're not going to change too much. What's worked for us has been, over the last three weeks, the clarity around our game plan and putting it in place and playing for each other."
The Hawks will lean on the classy combination of halfback Nathan Hastie and first five Rique Miln to get the team in good positions and create opportunities.
Hooker Gabriel Francesconi and flanker Toni Taufa have led the pack, and Aleki Morris-Lome has been a solid influence at centre.
adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz
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