ITM Cup round six: Preview
Round six of the ITM Cup in New Zealand is set to go on the weekend and several of the League’s top teams are still struggling to find their form. Waikato will be looking to finally get their season back on track, while Southland battle to remain at the top of the table.
Counties Manukau vs. Tasman
Counties Manukau will host Tasman at home in Pukekohe in the first match of the week.
Counties struggled last week against a strong Waikato side and will be looking to get back on track against Tasman.
Tasman are also coming off a loss, to Southland. Nevertheless, the club looked good in their defeat and will be interested in building on their form against Counties.
Counties are currently in fifth with 15 points, while Tasman are in 10th with 9 points.
Canterbury vs. Bay of Plenty
Canterbury will host Bay of Plenty in Christchurch over the weekend.
Canterbury are coming off of an impressive offensive display against Auckland and will hope to maintain their form against Bay of Plenty.
Bay of Plenty are hoping they were finally able to get their season back on track with their win over North Harbour last week. Nevertheless, they will need another strong performance to challenge Canterbury on the weekend.
Canterbury is in fourth with 18 points, while Plenty is in eighth with 12 points.
Manawatu vs. Wellington
Manawatu welcomes Wellington to Palmerston North for the third game of the round.
Manawatu continued to struggle with another loss last week and will once again have their hands full with a strong Wellington side.
Wellington fought their way to a tight win over Northland last week and will hope to build on their success against a less talented Manawatu side.
Manawatu are currently in 13th with two points, while Wellington is in second with 19 points.
Northland vs. Southland
Northland will host Southland in Whangarei on the weekend.
Northland are coming off of a tough last minute loss to Wellington and will once again be facing a tough opponent in Southland this weekend.
Southland meanwhile has been playing tremendous rugby and will be interested in maintaining their form against an inconsistent Northland side.
Northland are in ninth with 11 points, while Southland is in first with 21 points.
North Harbour vs. Waikato
North Harbour will host Waikato in Albany this weekend.
North Harbour suffered a loss at the hands of Bay of Plenty last week and can go back to .500 with a win over Waikato.
Waikato have struggled to remain consistent this season, but had a strong outing against Counties last week. The Hamilton side will be hoping to maintain their form and get to the top of the table this weekend.
North Harbour is in 11th with nine points, while Waikato are in seventh with 13 points.
Auckland vs. Taranaki
Auckland welcomes Taranaki in their round six clash this week.
Auckland is coming off a tough loss to Canterbury and will be interested in getting back on track against a difficult Taranaki side this weekend.
Taranaki has been playing very strong rugby this season and are coming off of a win over Otago. The visitors stand a good chance in upsetting Auckland this weekend.
Auckland is in sixth with 14 points, while Taranaki is in third with 18 points.
Otago vs. Hawkes Bay
Otago will host Hawkes Bay at home in Dunedin in the round’s final match this week.
Otago continued to struggle after losing their fifth match of the season to Taranaki last week. They will hope to finally get their game together against Hawkes Bay.
Hawkes has not been able to get their game plan together so far this season, but have a perfect opportunity to get back in the win column against last place Otago.
Otago is in 15th with one point, while Hawkes is in 12th with seven points.
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