ITM Cup round nine: Preview
The ninth round of the ITM Cup is set to take place over the weekend, and it should be another exciting week of New Zealand rugby.
Preview
Southland vs. Auckland
Southland welcomes Auckland to Invercargill this weekend.
Southland is coming off a one-point win over rival Waikato and will have to be even better as they go up against number two seeded Auckland.
Auckland meanwhile could take over first place with a win against Southland. Auckland has looked in fine form, after dominating Manawatu last week.
Southland is currently in first with 30 points, while Auckland is in second with 27.
Bay of Plenty vs. Otago
Bay of Plenty will host Otago at home in Rotorua in round nine.
Plenty is coming off a surprising win over Counties Manukau on the weekend and should have no trouble with Otago if they maintain their form.
Otago looked as though they were improving until last week’s loss to Northland. They will need to go back to the drawing board in the hopes they can pull-off an upset over Plenty.
Plenty is currently in eighth with 21 points, while Otago is in 13th with 10 points.
Canterbury vs. Wellington
Canterbury will welcome Wellington to Christchurch this weekend.
Canterbury are coming off a surprise upset at the hands of Taranaki in round eight and will be keen to get back on track with a win over rival Wellington.
Wellington was able to push past Hawke’s Bay last round and has continued to look strong after a rough opening three weeks.
Canterbury is currently in fourth with 26 points, while Wellington is in fifth with 25 points.
Hawke’s Bay vs. Taranaki
Taranaki will travel to Napier to face-off against Hawke’s Bay in round nine.
Hawke’s is coming off a tough four-point loss to Wellington on the weekend and is still trying to get their season in check. Unfortunately, it will only get tougher with their game against Taranaki this weekend.
Taranaki completed an upset over Canterbury last week, and if they maintain their form, should have no problem against a less skilled Hawke’s Bay side.
Hawke’s is currently in 11th with 11 points, while Taranaki is in third with 27 points.
Waikato vs. Tasman
Waikato will play host to Tasman in Hamilton this weekend.
Waikato are coming off a heartbreaking, one-point loss to Southland last week and will be interested in making up for it against a struggling Tasman side.
Tasman meanwhile continued to look poor this season in a seven-point loss to North Harbour last week.
Waikato is currently in sixth with 22 points, while Tasman is in 12th with 11 points.
North Harbour vs. Manawatu
North Harbour will host Manawatu at home in Albany this weekend.
North Harbour had an easy win over Tasman last week and should be able to run to a similar outcome against last place Manawatu.
Manawatu has not been able to put a game plan together this season and thus far has only recorded one win.
North Harbour is currently in 10th with 13 points, while Manawatu is in 14th with seven points.
Counties Manukau vs. Northland
Counties Manukau will host Northland in Pukekohe this weekend.
Counties will try and get their season back on track with a win over an evenly matched Northland side. However, Counties will have to improve their form if they hope to break the top seven this season.
Meanwhile Northland will have to work hard to maintain their seventh place spot against an eager Counties side.
Counties is currently in ninth with 20 points, while Northland is in seventh with 21 points.
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