For that to eventuate, of course, they must first account for their rivals in tomorrow’s semifinals.
Front-running Upper Clutha will host much-improved Maniototo at Wanaka while Wakatipu will do battle with Alexandra, who they whipped 27-0 last Saturday, at Queenstown.
Upper Clutha have won 11 of their 12 matches this season, most of them by wide margins, while Wakatipu have won 10.
They would be upsets of monumental status if either Upper Clutha or Wakatipu stumbled this weekend.
Maniototo has played some rip-roaring rugby over the past month to qualify for the play-offs but coach Ken Willis is frustrated that it has come at a cost.
"We’re sending out search parties looking for props.
"Our props, especially the tightheads, have suffered a terrible run of injuries," he said.
"We can’t turn up on Saturday and request uncontested scrums because we have no specialist tighthead, so we’ve put out a may-day call to some of our former front-rowers."
Maniototo held Upper Clutha to 29-23 in their White Horse Trophy challenge earlier in the season and have scored some impressive victories since, but it is hard to see them winning at Wanaka.
Alexandra not only crashed to Wakatipu five tries to zero last weekend, but also they lost winger Scott Cameron to a dislocated shoulder.
Coach Lee Wilson is hoping Kanon Dick, who has been out injured himself, will pass a fitness test in time for Saturday.
Wilson has taken last Saturday’s thumping philosophically.
"It’s up to us to make adjustments," he said, "and give it our best."
Wakatipu coach Jordan Manihera was hugely satisfied that his team kept Alexandra scoreless last Saturday.
"It’s not necessarily attack but defence that wins championships," he said, "so that performance was enormously gratifying."
Wakatipu suffered no injuries so Manihera will be fielding his strongest possible combination and looking for another consistent performance.
Statistically, Upper Clutha are the competition’s standout team, having scored 65 tries in their 12 games, compared with 47 by both Wakatipu and Maniototo and 39 by Alexandra.
Individually, Upper Clutha’s Brady Kingan, who played most of the season at first-five before moving into halfback a month ago, is unrivalled.
He has amassed 135 points, well clear of Tyler Ford (Alexandra), 98 points, Rube Peina (Wakatipu), 78 points, and Daniel Adam (Maniototo), 69 points.
When it comes to individual try-scoring, Upper Clutha winger Tomas Jarman is the standout with 11, followed by his burly front-row team-mate Ben McKeich and Wakatipu winger Connor Hamlin, both with eight.
- By Bob Howitt
