Tusk Cup first round draw

Press, 19 August 1985, Page 24

Tusk Cup first round draw

Canterbury’s representatives will meet opponents from Wellington and Hawke’s Bay in the first round of the national Tusk Cup inter-club rugby league tournament on the week-end of September 21 and 22. The Canterbury No. 1 team is to have home ground advantage over the second Wellington side, while Canterbury No. 2 is to travel to Napier to meet the sole Hawke’s Bay entrant. Although it has the harder initial task, Canterbury No. 1 has by far the better quarter-final draw. Presuming it advances to that stage, it would face another home match with the winner of the Gisborne-East Coast and Midlands match. Canterbury No. 1 is seeded to meet its Wellington counterpart in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Canterbury

No. 2 would be confronted by Auckland No. 2 in a quarter-final at Christchurch. If it clambers over that considerable hurdle it would probably have a home semi-final against Auckland No. 1.

Only one Auckland club can reach the grand final on October 13. Its opponent should be from either Wellington or Canterbury, which is to be represented by the club championship grand finalists. The first round draw is.— Taranaki v. Auckland 2 at New Plymouth, Auckland 1 v. Waikato at Auckland, Northland v. Bay of Plenty at Whangarei, Gisborne-East Coast v. Midlands at Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay v. Canterbury 2 at Napier, Canterbury 1 v. Wellington 2 at Christchurch, West Coast v. Otago-Southland at Greymouth, Wellington 1 v. Manawatu at Wellington.