It's a blockbuster weekend of rugby down south, headlined by Canterbury gunning for an NPC title against Wellington - but the region could add more provincial silverware elsewhere.
Ahead of the NPC final tomorrow, South Canterbury will play Whanganui for Heartland rugby’s biggest price – the Meads Cup – before Mid Canterbury turn out on Sunday for the Lachore Cup final against East Coast.
Despite not having the same time or resources as their professional counterparts in the red and black hoops to train, South Canterbury are still taking the game just as seriously.
Then again, that attitude probably explains the 21-game win streak and record year they’ve had, scoring the most points ever in a season and highest scoreline ever in a Heartland finals playoff with last week’s 76-9 thrashing of King Country.
READ MORE: History and legacy: Everything to play for in NPC final
“I know we're still amateurs but it feels like a little bit more the professionalism's rubbed off on this,” South Canterbury captain Nick Strachan said.
“There's a lot more analysis going on with this during the week and lot more looking after your bodies and things like that because when I started, it was pretty loose.
“But it's definitely changed in that respect.”
They're now trying to build a bit of a legacy and do something few teams have with back-to-back titles tomorrow.
“No South Canterbury team had won the Meads Cup until last year and now we've got the opportunity to do something really special,” coach Nigel Walsh said.
“All through the year we've been talking about making history, creating history - we just tick boxes week in and week out and this week here, we've got an opportunity to create more history.”
South Canterbury - putting the heart In Heartland rugby.
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