Another dose of matches between teams clustered closely together on the competition ladder is expected in round nine of the premier Baywide rugby competition this weekend.

Aside from an unbeaten Tauranga Sports side running away with the regular season, there are six other sides within sight of the top four spots.

Mount Maunganui will be hoping to put in an 80 minute performance against reigning champions Te Puke Sports this weekend.

Two of those sides – Mount Maunganui and Te Puke Sports – will meet at Blake Park on Saturday in a match with the potential to further complicate matters at the top of the table.

The defending champions have a two-point cushion in second place, but could be overtaken by both Greerton Marist and Whakarewarewa if the Mount can string 80 minutes of quality rugby together and other results fall their way.

Mount Maunganui has lost four games this season by just one point and have the second equal best for and against record despite sitting in seventh place.

Coach Rodney Voullaire says his players are trying not to let the disappointment of a number of tight loses affect them.

'We've been in close ones all season and we are just waiting to click. The boys are getting quite frustrated so I'm just hoping that we come together at some stage. We're so close; I think you've just got to hope that it clicks at the right time.

'We're at the halfway point – there's another ten games to go – and the boys know they are good enough to be there looking at the scores alone, but it's just finishing off the games.”

The side is missing Johan Bardoul and Adam McGarvey, while Zane Butler is under an injury cloud, but Voullaire believes the club has developed the depth to deal with injuries in key positions.

The side will likely need to go up a gear against an impressive team which hammered Greerton Marist.

Marist, which had won five straight games before being humbled by Te Puke last weekend, will face an Opotiki side on its own winning streak.

Consecutive wins against Paroa, Te Puke and Te Puna in the last three rounds have elevated Opotiki into fifth place after the team recorded just one win in the opening five rounds.

Te Puna's match with Whakarewarewa is another which could have an impact on the top of the table.

Te Puna were smashed 52-24 by Opotiki last week, so will have to get their shop in order before their clash against a side having won two of the last three.

Whakarewarewa currently residing in fourth place could trade places with sixth-placed Te Puna if results do not go their way.

Rangataua, fresh from a victory over Paroa last week lifting them off the bottom of the ladder, will have to find a way to slow down a slick Tauranga Sports outfit at Te Ariki Park, while Paroa will attempt to breath life into their campaign with a crucial match against Rotoiti at Emery Park.

DIVISION ONE

Rangiuru was shocked by Whakatane Marist last week to end their seven match unbeaten streak, and will travel to a potentially tough match against fifth-placed Waikite in round nine.

The home side are winners of two straight – including a 19-5 win over Whakatane Marist in week seven – and could be on the door step of the top four with a win if third-placed Kahukura can prevail at home against fourth-placed Katikati.

A win for Kahukura would see the side place Poroporo and Rangiuru's positions in the top two under increasing pressure, while a loss would see them only a handful of points ahead of Katikati.

Poroporo will meet Marist St Michael's at Poroporo Park, while Ngongotaha will host Whakatane Marist in the final match of the round.

SEEKA KI WBOP SENIOR COMPETITION

Tauranga Sports B have been running amok in the Western Bay of Plenty senior competition in the same manner that the club's top team has been dominating the premier division.

Like the top team in the Bay, Tauranga Sports B is unbeaten after eight rounds with a nice cushion back to second place.

The competition leaders will put their perfect record on the line on Saturday against Rangataua B, which has performed far better than their premier counterparts so far this season.

Five wins from eight matches have left the Rangataua side sitting in a tie for third place with three other teams, meaning every game from here is crucial.

Another of those teams on ten points, Judea, will host second-placed Arataki at Maharaia Winiata Park in another pivotal match-up.

A win would boost Judea into what could be a tie for second place with four other teams if the formbook holds up.

Mount Maunganui B and Matakana Island – the two other teams to be locked in a battle for third place – will be favoured to take care of Te Puke B and Greerton Marist B respectively.

Katikati will host Eastern Districts in the remaining match of the round.

CBOP SENIOR COMPETITION

Ngongotaha B versus Whakarewarewa Red shapes as the biggest clash in the Central Bay of Plenty senior competition.

One of the two Whakarewarewa sides in the division, the Red side is one of only two unbeaten teams left after two rounds. Ngongotaha B should provide a stern test, and will be out to exact a revenge of sorts after falling to Whakarewarewa Black by a single point in the first round.

The other unbeaten side, Reporoa, will take on bottom-of-the-table Rotoiti B at home, while Murupara and Whakarewarewa Black will travel to play Waikite B and Eastern Pirates.

EBOP SENIOR COMPETITION

Unbeaten Kawerau hit the road to play Galatea this weekend with the competition's best defensive record and a handy eight-point cushion at the top of the ladder.

Galatea have slowed their charge in recent weeks, and will need a drastic change in fortunes if they are to knock off the top ranked side and avoid a fourth loss on the trot.

In other action, Edgecumbe will host Matata while Waimana travel to play Taneatua at Rob Shaw Park.

SEEKA KI WBOP COLTS

Mount Maunganui will host Greerton Marist in the colts final and will be wary of a side that knocked over top qualifiers Te Puke Sports away from home last week.

The young Te Puke side had previously put 108 points on the board in five matches, but could only muster nine points against the competition's top ranked defensive team.

Greerton Marist won the regular season match 20-8 at home, so will be full of confidence after an intense goal line stand and break out try in the final moments against Te Puke assured them a place in the final.

Greerton Marist coach Mark Decke says his side is riding high after doing the job in the semifinal.

'The boys are quite pumped after last weekend against Te Puke,” says Decke.

'We changed a few things around in the way we attacked the game - the boys actually believe the coaches know what they are talking about now.

'We really concentrated on our defence and we haven't really done much on attack.”

Tauranga Sports Colts will play Te Puna Colts at the Tauranga Domain in a match that essentially amounts to a friendly.

CBOP & EBOP COLTS

The meeting of the top two ranked sides will be the main talking point in the combined Central and Eastern Bay of Plenty Colts competition.

Marist St Michael's have only a draw with Taupo as a blotch on their record, and will go into this one with plenty of confidence considering they did away with second-placed Edgecumbe 32-0 in the teams' first encounter this season.

Kahukura and Taupo will meet in the other match of the round.

Baywide rugby draw for Saturday, May 18 - unless otherwise stated.

Premier: (All games to start at 2.45pm)

Greerton Marist v Opotiki (Greerton Marist 1)

Mount Maunganui v Te Puke (Blake Park 1)

Rangataua v Tauranga Sports (Te Ariki Park 1)

Rotoiti v Paroa (Emery Park 1)

Te Puna v Whakarewarewa (Maramatanga Park 1)

Division one: (All games to start at 2.45pm)

Kahukura v Katikati (Kuirau Park 2)

Ngongotaha v Whakatane Marist (Ngongotaha Domain 1)

Poroporo v Marist St Michael's (Poroporo Park 1)

Ruatoki v Te Teko (Tuhoe Park 1)

Waikite v Rangiuru (Bellvue Road 1)

Seeka KI WBOP senior competition:

Greerton Marist B v Matakana (Greerton Park 1 – 1pm)

Mount Maunganui B v Te Puke B (Blake Park 1 – 1pm)

Rangataua v Tauranga Sports B (Te Ariki Park 1 – 1pm)

Te Puna B v Rangiuru (Maramatanga Park 1 - 1pm)

Judea v Arataki (Maharaia Winiata Park 2 – 2.45pm)

Katikati v Eastern Districts (Moore Park 1 – 2.45pm)

EBOP senior competition:

Taneatua v Waimana (Rob Shaw Park 1 – May 17, 7pm)

Edgecumbe v Matata (Rangitaiki Reserve 4 – 2.30pm)

Galatea v Kawerau (Galatea Domain 3 – 2.30pm)

CBOP senior competition:

Eastern Pirates v Whakarewarewa Black (Neil Hunt Park 2 – 1pm)

Ngongotaha B v Whakarewarewa Red (Ngongotaha Domain 1 – 1pm)

Waikite B v Murupara (Bellvue Road 2 – 1pm)

Reporoa v Rotoiti B (Reporoa 1 – 2.30pm)

Seeka KI WBOP Colts: (Both games to start at 1pm)

Mount Maunganui Colts v Greerton Marist Colts (Blake Park 1)

Tauranga Sports Colts v Te Puna Colts (Tauranga Domain 1)

CBOP & EBOP Colts: (Both games to start at 1pm)

Edgecumbe Colts v Marist St Michael's Colts (Rangitaiki Reserve 4)

Kahukura Colts v Taupo Colts (Owen Delany Park 1)

Chiefs Cup

Tauranga Boys' College v Hamilton Boys' High School

Rotorua Boys' High School v Cambridge High School

Chiefs Trophy

Trident High School v Hauraki Plains College

Thames High School v John Paul College

Bay of Plenty Secondary School division one: (All games to start at 12pm)

Western Heights 1^st XV v Mount Maunganui College 1^st XV

Opotiki College 1^st XV v Tauranga Boys' College 2^nd XV

Bethlehem College 1^st XV v Otumoetai College 1^st XV