Wellington and Canterbury will square off this Saturday for the final of the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup, with both sides heading into the final with only one loss each this year.

Wellington had to fight hard against Southland on Friday night, and it came down to the final ten minutes before they managed to score two trys to take the lead - which sealed Southland's fate for 2008.

Chris - "I have to admit (as a Wellington supporter) that when the score was 14-11 to Southland with around 12 minutes to play, I was quite nervous. Wellington have had trouble in the past when it comes to pressure situations."

Canterbury, too, had to fight hard against Hawkes Bay, who showed a marked improvement from their efforts against Canterbury a few weeks earlier. Canterbury managed to pull away in the second half, though, taking out the match 31-21 and securing their place in the final.

Between Wellington and Canterbury, you'd have to go with Canterbury as the favourites, despite Wellingtons dominance all year. Like Chris said, Wellington often struggle when it comes to finals, while Canterbury are the masters of high pressure rugby.

Since their Round 1 loss to Manawatu, Canterbury have been unbeaten, and head into the final with momentum. Wellington, on the other hand, started with a hiss and a roar, but have struggled since winning the Ranfurly Shield when they beat Auckland.

They are certainly capable of beating Canterbury, but they can't afford to let the Canterbury boys play a tight physical game. If they do, Canterbury will grind out the win.

Wellington have to throw everything at the Canterbury defence, and with the likes of Hosea Gear and Ma'a Nonu in the backline, they should be able to find a few holes in the line. Although it won't be easy...

It's great that the two best sides all year have made the final, and it's fitting that it's Wellington and Canterbury, who have had some truly fantastic clashes in recent years.

This one, we hope, will be no different.

Photo from Flickr - anderchris

The Air New Zealand Cup moves into the semi finals this weekend, with Wellington, Canterbury, Hawkes Bay and Southland vying for a spot in the Final.

Wellington will face off against Southland, after they beat Taranaki on Saturday. It was by no means an easy victory (despite the final score blowing out to 50-30), as the boys from the Naki pushed hard for three quarters of the game - only to have the Lions run away in the end.

Wellington's golden run this year seems to have hit a snag, and since winning the Ranfurly Shield they have looked like a shell of the side they were earlier in the competition. They struggled to beat Tasman a few weeks ago, and last week suffered an embarrassing loss to the woeful Otago side, whose backline was a makeshift lineup of Dunedin club rugby players.

The final score against Taranaki will be of some relief, but they will need to improve to beat Southland, who comfortably destroyed Bay of Plenty's hopes with a 45-11 win. The Stags have been known to be a bogey side to Wellington in previous years, so don't go counting them out just yet. They are capable of competing with the big boys of New Zealand rugby, and an upset here is not completely off the cards.

The other semi final sees Canterbury face Hawkes Bay in a rematch from only two weeks ago. Canterbury comfortably beat the Magpies 31-7 on that day, but the Bay showed in their quarter final against Waikato that they can score trys from all over the field - and if they can get off to a good start, a win is not out of the question.

The only issue for Hawkes Bay is their defence, which lapsed in the second half against Waikato - and they only scrapped through to the semis by three points. They went into half time with a 28-0 advantage, only to let Waikato back into the game with some average defence. They absolutely cannot afford to do that against Canterbury, or they will find themselves on the end of another thrashing.

Canterbury strolled into the semis with a comprehensive 48-10 victory over their neighbours Tasman. If you put aside their first round loss to Manawatu, they've been in great form throughout the rest of the competition - and, alongside Wellington, must be heavy favourites to play in the final.

But rugby can be a funny game...

I mean - who honestly thought Auckland wouldn't have made the quarter finals? If there is an edge, it is that Wellington and Canterbury have experience at this end of the season, while the pressure may be too much for the underdogs.

Honestly? These two games are too close to call for us. And although one of us is a diehard Wellington supporter, and thinks they'll win the whole thing (biased? you bet), at this stage of the Air New Zealand Cup any one of these teams could take out the championship.

Semi final time, sports fans - don't miss 'em.