Nine teams tried – and failed - to knock off Tauranga Sports in the first half of the Baywide Premier rugby competition's regular season, but one of the two sides that ran them close gets the first second crack this weekend.

Greerton Marist, one of only two teams to emerge from the match-up with the competition frontrunners with a point following a 25-18 loss at Greerton Park in the opening round, have since recovered from an 0-2 start to sit in second position on the ladder.

Tauranga Sports head into the second round of the regular season unbeaten.

The side, which shrugged off a poor showing against Te Puke Sports in a 39-17 hiding in round eight, bounced back to beat Opotiki last weekend and will be looking for a boil over at Tauranga Domain.

Marist may need some points from the contest to prevent slipping out of the top four, with a host of teams sniffing around looking to mount a campaign for the one home semifinal spot effectively remaining.

Te Puna's match with Mount Maunganui is another with implications at the top of the table.

Thanks to a remarkably even competition - aside from Sports' unchecked run to sit fifteen points clear of the rest of the field - the Mounties sit just one win outside the playoff spots after a slew of close, and inexplicable, loses which threatened to stifle their campaign.

A victory against Te Puna – one of four sides to pip the Mount by a single point so far this season – would likely see them leapfrog their rivals to threaten the postseason positions for the first time this season.

Mount coach Rodney Voullaire is still upbeat despite his side putting him through the wringer with a number of close defeats.

'We are still in the hunt – that's the main thing.

'It's been so up and down trying to make these guys click, but we are getting there. Every game we have played this year we have looked pretty good, but again it's just those little patches that we have been lacking.”

Considering how many close games his side has come out on the wrong side of, Voullaire is happy enough with the team's position.

'The win against Te Puke opened the guys' eyes that they can do it. Going up against the two-time champions and taking the win was great. Now it's about keeping the guys grounded and looking for the win that matters at the end of the tunnel.

'It's just as well that we had a large squad. We're quite lucky as a club that we put a lot of time and effort into getting those guys and looking after them. We've got ten guys under injury clouds - which is a lot for this time of year - but they are doing the right rehab.”

Te Puna coach Vaughan Bidois sees the match as an important clash for both sides.

'I think last week's win over Te Puke will put them in a good space, so the Mount will definitely be tough,” says Bidois.

'It'll be a big challenge for us – we've had a couple of big losses and needed a big win last week which we came back with, so it sets the scene for a big match-up going into the next round.

'We were disappointing in Opotiki and we sort of boiled it down to attitude. Last week we had the right attitude on the field and in the first half the boys played really well. Now we've just got to work on sustaining that for long periods.”

Every game from here on in is huge for sides sitting on the brink of the top four.

'It doesn't get any easier. It's a pretty tough competition for those around the middle of the table – everyone's a little bit desperate at the moment to keep guys on the field.”

Te Puna has four home games in the next six weeks, so will likely need to string a few wins together to put themselves in a good position towards the end of the season.

Rotoiti will host fourth-placed Whakarewarewa in a match that the latter can ill-afford to lose, while equal bottom-placed sides Paroa and Rangataua will be visited by Te Puke Sports and Opotiki respectively.

Division one:

Third-placed Kahukura's home game against fifth-placed Waikite shapes as the most intriguing clash in the tenth round in division one.

Both sides desperately need a win as they jockey for positions in the top four, with slightly different consequences coming with a loss this weekend.

For the home side the match signifies a chance to keep pace with leaders Poroporo and second-placed Rangiuru at the top of the ladder, while for the visitors the stakes are a little higher.

A loss could strike a double blow to Waikite's campaign, considering a suddenly hot Whakatane Marist side has staged two wins on the trot to sit tied for fifth place.

Rangiuru and Poroporo have what look to be relatively easy assignments away from home against Marist St Michael's and Te Teko, with each likely out for a bonus point to place added pressure on the other.

Ruatoki will meet Ngongotaha in the round's other match.

EBOP senior:

Leaders Kawerau meet second-placed Edgecumbe at Tarawera Park in the marquee match-up in the Eastern Bay of Plenty senior competition.

Edgecumbe, with 242, have easily scored the most points so far this season, and will be out to run in a few tries against the second-ranked defence in the competition. A decisive win would see Edgecumbe climb into first place, which their impressive for and against record suggests they are more than capable of doing.

In other action, Taneatua will host Galatea and Waimana will travel to play Matata.

CBOP senior:

Reporoa will put their unbeaten record on the line against third-placed Whakarewarewa Black, while Whakarewarewa Red are at home to Waikite B.

Rotoiti B are at home to Murupara and Eastern Pirates will host Ngongotaha B in the round's other matches.

Secondary School rugby:

This weekend offers up another chance for footy fans to take in the best schoolboy rugby the region has to offer.

While Tauranga Boys' College, Rotorua Boys' High School and Trident High School's top sides will travel away to play matches against St Paul's College, Manurewa High School and St Peter's College, there is still plenty of action on offer.

John Paul College will host Taupo Nui A Tia College in the Chiefs Trophy, while the Bay of Plenty secondary school competitions offer up a further six matches.

Otumoetai College's home game against Western Heights shapes as a cracker in division one, while Opotiki College will play Bethlehem and Mount Maunganui will host Tauranga Boys' College's second fifteen.

Rotorua Boys' High School's away match with Whakatane High School is the highlight of division two action.

The top of the table clash will have a little extra spice with the Te Kani Shield also on the line.

Tauhara College are at home to Katikati College and Reporoa College will play Aquinas College to round out the weekend's action.

Baywide rugby draw for Saturday, May 25, unless otherwise stated:

Premier: (All games to start at 2.45pm)

Paroa v Te Puke Sports (Lawson Park 1)

Rangataua v Opotiki (Te Ariki Park 1)

Rotoiti v Whakarewarewa (Emery Park 1)

Tauranga Sports v Greerton Marist (Tauranga Domain 1)

Te Puna v Mount Maunganui (Maramatanga Park 1)

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

Kahukura v Waikite (Kuirau Park 2)

Katikati v Whakatane Marist (Moore Park 1)

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

Ruatoki v Ngongotaha (Tuhoe Park 1)

Te Teko v Poroporo (Dunderdale Park 1)

Seeka KI WBOP senior:

Rangataua B v Judea (Te Ariki Park 1 – 1pm)

Tauranga Sports B v Matakana (Tauranga Domain 2 – 1pm)

Te Puna B v Katikati (Maramatanga Park 1 – 1pm)

Arataki v Te Puke B (Arataki Park 1 – 2.45pm)

Eastern Districts v Mount Maunganui B (Paengaroa Domain 1 – 2.45pm)

Greerton Marist B v Rangiuru B (Greerton Park 1)

Baywide Colts: (All games to start at 1pm)

Kahukura Colts v Te Puke Colts (Kuirau Park 1)

Marist St Michael's Colts v Taupo Colts (Marist Park 1)

Tauranga Sports Colts v Greerton Marist Colts (Tauranga Domain 1)

Te Puna Colts v Mount Maunganui Colts (Maramatanga Park 2)

Bye: Edgecumbe Colts

EBOP senior:

Taneatua v Galatea (Rob Shaw Park 1 – May 24, 7.30pm)

Kawerau v Edgecumbe (Tarawera Park 1 – 2.30pm)

Matata v Waimana (Waimana Domain 1 – 2.30pm)

CBOP senior: (All games to start at 1pm)

Eastern Pirates v Ngongotaha B (Neil Hunt Park 1)

Rotoiti B v Murupara (Emery Park 2)

Whakarewarewa Black v Reporoa (Puarenga Park 1)

Whakarewarewa Red v Waikite B (Puarenga Park 2)

Chiefs Cup:

St Paul's College 1^st XV v Tauranga Boys' College 1^st XV

Manurewa High School 1^st XV v Rotorua Boys' High School 1^st XV

Chiefs Trophy:

St Peter's College 1^st XV v Trident High School 1^st XV

John Paul College 1^st XV v Taupo Nui A Tia College 1^st XV

Bay of Plenty Secondary School Division One (All games to start at 12pm – home teams listed first)

Otumoetai College 1^st XV v Western Heights High School 1^st XV

Opotiki College 1^st XV v Bethlehem College 1^st XV

Mount Maunganui College 1^st XV v Tauranga Boys' College 1^st XV

Bay of Plenty Secondary School Division Two (All games to start at 12pm – home teams listed first)

Tauhara College 1^st XV v Katikati College 1^st XV

Whakatane High School 1^st XV v Rotorua Boys' High School 1^st XV

Reporoa College 1^st XV v Aquinas College 1^st XV