Can Canterbury be stopped?
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The Mitre 10 Cup Premiership title has been based in Canterbury for the past three years and without a home semi-final this year, it is the perfect opportunity for another Province to getting their hands on the title.
Tasman host the current Champions and will be out for revenge after losing the last two consecutive finals against the Cantabs.
We take look at how the four teams line up for the semi-finals.
The Contenders - Tasman
The Markos have had a fantastic campaign as they have managed to pick up nine wins from ten games on their way to finishing second on the standings. Tasman’s only loss this season was against Auckland, who ran out 36-10 winners back in Round 4.
Tasman have based their game around a gritty defence and this was clearly displayed in a 29-0 win over Championship side Hawke's Bay last weekend.
As mentioned before, The Mako will be out for blood against their provincial rivals and have a powerful squad that has the ability to oust one of the most the ruthless playoff sides in the competition's history.
The Champions - Canterbury
Reigning champions Canterbury will be looking to book a spot in yet another Mitre 10 Cup Premiership final when they take on their local rivals. The two sides were only separated by two points on the overall table but Canterbury will be wary of Tasman, who beat them in the round-robin phase of the competition.
Canterbury, who has lost a host of players to the All Blacks squad, lost one other game the entire season and that was against Auckland, who are in the other semi-final.
Canterbury is capable of winning the competition due to their ruthless nature when it comes to playoff rugby and will still be backed by most to list a fourth title, despite their worst regular season finish since 2014.
👀 What about the break, and how about the ball from Luke Romano. RT if you could throw this magic pass. 🏉#CANvTAR #Ours pic.twitter.com/zj53GhUH3T
— Mitre 10 Cup (@Mitre10Cup) October 6, 2018
The Favourites - Auckland:
The table-topping side has been extremely impressive this season having won nine of their 10 matches in opening rounds, after avoiding relegation last year.
Auckland’s only defeat in this campaign was at the hands of Championship outfit Otago. The Aucklanders racked up 46 log points this season which was three points more than Tasman, who are hosting the first semi-final.
The Auckland outside backs have been on fire this season with Salesi Rayasi scoring 9 tries during the regular season.
The Underdogs - Wellington
The side from Wellington has been a bit inconsistent but they still managed to get into the playoffs thanks to their superior bonus point wins. They have outscored all four semi-finalists in they try department but they have suffered the most losses until now.
Wellington won six of their 10 matches this season and will have it all to do if they want to overthrow Auckland this weekend.
The Lions have enjoyed stellar returned to the Premiership to claim a playoff spot and could cause a few upsets with a powerful pack and a dangerous backline with the likes of Matt Proctor, Ben Lam, Wes Goosen, Jackson Garden-Bachop and the rising star Billy Proctor.
