Lions off to Mooloo Safari and Heartland Championship semi-finals tomorrow

Rob Law Max flanker Du Plesssis Kirifi takes on Waikato’s halfback Xavier Roe when the Lions and Mooloo met in Wellington last year. The two teams return to the same venue tomorrow in their quarter-final. 

The Wellington Lions will be hoping to put the disappointment of losing their 21-match unbeaten streak and relinquishing the Ranfurly Shield to Hawke’s Bay behind them when they host Waikato in their NPC quarter-final tomorrow afternoon, kick-off 4.35pm.

Their perfect season was left shattered and the Ranfurly Shield itself later went the same way when Hawke’s Bay won 20-18 with a late try to Wainuiomata flanker Sam Smith. The silver lining was that the Lions had already qualified top for this weekend’s quarter-finals and it was just their opponent that had to be decided.

Waikato beat Canterbury 37-35 to secure that berth, their third consecutive win, following victories over Auckland (27-12) and Otago (47-7) prior in the preceding fortnight.

The winner of this match will play the winner of the Bay of Plenty versus Hawke’s Bay quarter-final in next week’s semi-finals.

Visitors Waikato are coached by Petone’s Ross Filipo and contain few stars, but a handful of experienced Super Rugby players and a couple who have worn the All Blacks jersey.

Wellington beat Waikato 41-24 when they met back in Round 6 in Hamilton – a scoreline typical of Wellington-Waikato matches, which are invariably high scoring as both teams like to open the afterburners up when they clash.

Indeed, the 19 points the Lions scored to beat Waikato in Hamilton in 2013 (19-14) was the lowest winning score that scoreboard operators in this contest have posted in their past 37 clashes dating back to 1991.

Similarly, the 33 combined points scored by both teams in that 2013 match was the fourth lowest combined score in over 45 NPC matches between Wellington and Waikato. Only Waikato’s 12-9 and 13-9 wins in 1983 and 1991 and Wellington’s 22-4 Ranfurly Shield win in 1981 were lower, and all three of these were in the era of four-point tries.

The number 37 is significant in this series – since 2004 Waikato have posted a final score of 37 four times against Wellington and Wellington once against Waikato (37-43 loss in 2021).

Wellington and Waikato met for the first time in 1923, again in 1929 and they then didn’t play each other again until meeting annually between 1952-1975, and again at least once every year from 1981 except in 1986.

In 77 meetings overall, Wellington has won 41, Waikato 35 and there has been one draw.

Wellington has scored 1,306 points and 160 tries against Waikato in NPC games and Waikato has scored 1,145 points and 135 tries in NPC matches against Wellington.

Wellington’s record against Waikato in all NPC matches in Wellington is played 19, won 14, lost five and drawn none.

Kick-off is at 4.35pm. Head to the ground early to secure your favourite spot and avoid seat rage.

Teams:

Meanwhile, there are two Heartland Championship semi-finals in close proximity to Wellington tomorrow.

In the tier one Meads Cup, the Whanganui Butcher Boys host Thames Valley at Cooks Gardens. Kick-off is at the earlier time of 1.05pm.

Both these teams finished the regular season with 6/2 win/loss records and Whanganui qualified ahead of the Swamp Foxes for this home semi-final after securing a bonus point from their 55-19 win over Horowhenua-Kapiti last week.

Whanganui and Thames Valley met at this same venue back in the first round with the visitors winning 36-33.

The other match is in Masterton where Wairarapa-Bush host West Coast in their tier 2 Lochore Cup semi-final. Little could separate these teams from the round-robin, both finishing with 4/4 records and Wairarapa-Bush finishing one point ahead of West Coast on the table but the latter having a superior for and against points record. They didn’t meet during the season.

Two more Hurricanes region teams are in action in the other semi-finals, with Ngāti Porou East Coast travelling to Timaru to face unbeaten top qualifiers South Canterbury in the Meads Cup and Poverty Bay heading down the road to Oamaru to meet North Otago in the Lochore Cup.