The battle for a spot in next year's Bayfair Baywide premier club rugby competition is boiling down to a face-off between a side that almost made it last year and another which has come from nowhere.

Top seeds Rangiuru and Poroporo will meet in the Division One final after doing away with Kahukura and Te Teko respectively last weekend.

Rangiuru won both meetings between the two sides this season.

Rangiuru withstood a spirited challenge from a fired up Te Teko to squeak home 29-22, while Poroporo had an easier time in dismantling Kahukura 33-13.

The wet track expected is not likely to suit minor premiers Rangiuru, who will be hoping young Steamers midfielder Elijah Nicolas' shoulder comes through Thursday night's preseason match against Counties Manukau in Pukekohe.

Rangiuru will start as favourites after being desperately unlucky not to reach the premier division this season, while Poroporo are buzzing to be in the biggest game in their history.

As a result, the two coaches could not have been different in their speech two days out form the big game.

'Last year is a different year, a different game and a different team - the only thing we can take out of it is that most of the guys have played in that situation so they'll be a little bit more relaxed this year,” says Rangiuru coach Peter Woods.

'It sounds like we are going to have the same weather as last year, which doesn't suit us. We like more of a dry paddock, so if the forecast is correct there will be heavy footing with the rain that is forecast.

'The boys are feeling good at this stage and excited for where we are at the moment.”

Poroporo coach Waata Heathcote can barely contain his excitement.

'It's a big thing for a small club like us. We've only got a couple hundred people in our community and we've got family flying back from Australia for this game,” says Heathcote.

'That's how important it is for our community, because we have never been here. We've never been as high as the first division in the history of the club either, so this has been real history making for us this year.

'This is all new territory for us. We've never beaten Kahukura in the history of our club, and we've been going for 108 years now. We beat them three times this year.

'We hadn't beaten Ngongotaha for more than 16 years and we beat them, and we hadn't beaten Whakatane Marist in over 25 years and we beat them twice. These boys have gone way above where we thought they would be mentally, and they have the belief that they can knock anyone off.”

Heathcote admits the side has developed even faster than he and his staff had planned.

'We knew last year was going to be a rebuilding year for us so our expectation was to stay in the division, which is what we managed to do.

'We are excited about it. It's been a goal for us since we first got out of the second division in 2011 when we beat Arataki.

'Now we are in the final. We had a vision of making the premier division within four years from when we took over in 2011 because we knew that we had a lot of players with ability coming through. We knew we were going to have a good team this year because we had recruited some players from around the district, but we thought it would take at least a year for them to all learn how to work together.”

BAYFAIR BAYWIDE 1^ST DIVISION FINAL

ASB Baypark Stadium # 1 1.00pm

RANGIURU – Red, White & Blue

1. Maihi Wihapi
2. Matt Eru
3. Kokiri Rota
4. Richard Corless
5. Dan Godbold
6. Hikairo Moorehead
7. Terry Wilson
8. Lester Roberts
9. Eru Pouwhare
10. Sasu Wihapi
11. Stevie Ray Nathan Patuawa
12. Ihaka Hiini / Mikaeri Whareaorere / Elijah Nicolas
13. Patuara Beil
14. Jordan Kendall
15. Ngatai Kingi
16. Iripa Roberts / Henare Whareaorere
17. Che Clarke
18. Hemana Takuira Mita
19. Epi Ronaki
20. Kanan Clarke
21. Mikaeri Whareaorere
22. Elijah Nicolas

Coach: Peter Woods

Assistant Coach: Dan Godbold

Manager: Mark Basham

Strapper: Dinky Skudder

Physio: Neil Barback

Ball Boys: Rongo Pouwhare & Kapa Whareaorere

POROPORO – Red, White & Blue

1. Eru Merito
2. Len Merito
3. Jordan Rakuraku
4. Baden Wardlaw
5. Colin McKenzie
6. Hemi Williams
7. Josh Hedley
8. Corey Hahipene
9. Ben de Farias
10. Leighton Thrupp
11. Robert Maxwell
12. Ed Maui
13. Josh Moore
14. Rob Tai
15. Gareth Cosey
16. Tamati Taylor
17. Jessie Arbuckle
18. Nikora Heitia / Josh Binny
19. Christian Kora
20. Shiloh Moeke
21. James Merito
22. Dylan Maui

Coaches: Grant Edmonds & Tony Marrow

Team Manager: Waata Heathcote

Managers: Les Moore & Joseph Mason

Physio: Tutua Physiotherapy

Ball Boys: Lawson Maui, Jonty Moore & Aterea Thrupp

Major Sponsors: RAL Logging, Top of the Crop & Samurai

Sponsors: Hundee Club & Bella Designs

Referee

Brett Johnson

Assistant Referee 1

Tait Kora

Assistant Referee 2

Lester Gray

Sub Managers

Paul Greenstreet

John Donnelly