Te Puke Sports should wrap up the PGG Wrightson Baywide Premier first round trophy today if they beat Whakarewarewa at Puarenga Park in Rotorua

The defending champions have made all the running in the premier ranks since the season started on March 24 and will take an undefeated record into the encounter with the Rotorua visitors.

Despite losing their last two games Whaka still sit in third place in the standings.

The two coaches come from two very different spectrums of the coaching ranks. Long time Te Puke player Craig Jeffries has picked up the Te Puke head coach role for the first time this season. Whaka coach Kevin Lee has a stack of experience in the high-pressure premier coaching environment and is sure to have his troops well primed for the Te Puke assignment.

Two sides that will help to break the logjam in the middle of the table are Mount Maunganui and Opotiki, who meet at the house of pain at Princess Street Reserve in Opotiki. In recent seasons many of the visitors to Opotiki headquarters have left for home with a stain on their season record sheet after suffering defeat in one of the extremities of the Eastern Bay.

However, Mount Maunganui is on a roll after winning their last four games in a row. Mount centre Zane Butler has gone on a try-scoring blitz in recent encounters and Opotiki will need to keep close wraps on the speedster, who is dangerous each time he touches the ball.

Multiple premier titleholders Tauranga Sports have hit top form and should give Rotoiti plenty of hurry-up at Rotoiti headquarters. Last week Nick Thompson was the star of the show against Rangataua grabbing five touchdowns. The Rotorua lakesiders are another to fall off the pace in recent games and victory at Emery Park will restore their championship aspirations.

Two sides already fighting to avoid relegation will have plenty on the line in the Western Bay of Plenty. Greerton Marist and Rangataua both sit at the bottom of the standings, however Greerton made a move last week by clinching its first victory of the season against Waikite. Te Puna should prove too strong for Waikite at Maramatanga Park.

A non-stop travel schedule for Rangiuru in Division One is doing little harm to the Te Puke side, who moved into a share of the top spot last week after joint-leaders Paroa lost their unbeaten record to Kahukura. The Te Puke leaders are on the road again this week as their new home ground is still undergoing finishing touches – and will meet Ngongotaha on the outskirts of Rotorua.

Paroa will be seeking to get their div one aspirations back on track and will meet Poroporo at Lawson Park in an Eastern Bay local derby. Kahukura should beat bottom placed Ruatoki in the Eastern Bay, Whakatane Marist should return home from Reporoa with a solid victory, while Te Teko, who sit just off the pace, will play Marist St Michaels in Rotorua.

The quiet achiever of the Colts title race are Ruatoki who sit in fifth place, with a seven-point buffer from defending titleholders Te Puke Sports, in sixth spot. While the Ruatoki rugby field is among the more isolated venues in the Bay of Plenty, visiting team are always given a big welcome at Tuhoe Park. This weekend they will journey to the Western Bay to play Te Puna in a game that could go down to the wire.

Competition leaders Mount Maunganui were given a fright by lowly ranked Marist St Michaels last week and will want to make amends against Kahukura in Rotorua. Second place Greerton Marist will engage in a local derby with Tauranga Sports, with defending champions Te Puke Sports away to Rotoiti in Rotorua.

PGG Wrightson Baywide Rugby Draws 12 May 2012

Premier (2.45pm) Rotoiti v Tauranga Sports, Emery Park; Opotiki v Mount Maunganui, Princess Street Reserve; Te Puna v Waikite, Maramatanga Park; Rangataua v Greerton Marist, Te Ariki Park; Whakarewarewa v Te Puke Sports, Puarenga Park.

Points Table: Te Puke Sports 32, Tauranga Sports 26, Whakarewarewa 22, Mount Maunganui 21, Opotiki 21, Rotoiti 21, Te Puna 21, Waikite 7, Greerton Marist 6, Rangataua 0.

Division One (2.45pm) Ruatoki v Kahukura, Tuhoe Park; Ngongotaha v Rangiuru, Ngongotaha Domain; Reporoa v Whakatane Marist, Reporoa; Marist St Michaels v Te Teko, Marist Park; Paroa v Poroporo, Lawson Park.

Points Table: Paroa 29, Rangiuru 29, Te Teko 24, Kahukura 23, Whakatane Marist 20, Ngongotaha 19, Marist St Michaels 14, Poroporo 10, Reporoa 5, Ruatoki 2.

Colts (1pm) Marist St Michaels v Rangataua, Marist Park; Greerton Marist v Tauranga Sports, Greerton Park; Te Puna v Ruatoki, Maramatanga Park; Rotoiti v Te Puke Sports, Emery Park; Kahukura v Mount Maunganui, Kuirau Park; Waikite v Whakarewarewa, Bellvue Road; Opotiki the bye.

Points Table: Mount Maunganui 33, Greerton Marist 27, Te Puna 25, Tauranga Sports 24, Ruatoki 23, Te Puke Sports 16, Waikite 15, Opotiki 15, Rangataua 10, Marist St Michaels 7, Whakarewarewa 7, Rotoiti 6, Kahukura 1.