Rugby: U85kg National Club Cup is warm-up act for Bledisloe Cup

HSOB Light Bears v Pakuranga Black Panthers

National U85kg National Club Cup final

Kick-off: 4.15pm Saturday 28 September

Sky Stadium, Wellington

Live coverage on Sky Sport

There's a middleweight title fight on the undercard of the Bledisloe Cup test at Sky Stadium in Wellington. The Pakuranga Black Panthers and High School Old Boys Light Bears are set to battle it out in the U85kg National Club Cup final before the All Blacks and Wallabies kick off, representing the final two sides of a 55-team tournament that kicked off two months ago.

HSOB, from Christchurch, come in as defending champions after defeating North Harbour's Takapuna in an entertaining final last year. Captain and first five Jarred Percival, who has enjoyed a Heartland career with Mid Canterbury as well as a stint playing professionally in Italy, said that "there's a little bit of added pressure with the tag on our back as defending champs".

The 28-year-old financial services adviser is thoroughly enjoying the weight-restricted grade after his long stint in senior rugby, especially since they are representing their region at the big dance.

"There were five Canterbury teams that entered. We're the last men standing…we're flying the flag for Canterbury."

The U85kg National Club Cup was launched in 2020 to promote the under 85kg senior grade, which has long been a presence in the North Island urban unions. It generally attracts school leavers and is known for fostering a strong sense of loyalty to clubs. The final will be broadcast live on Sky Sport, and it's hoped the exposure will grow the grade.

Opposing HSOB this weekend are the undefeated Pakuranga side, who were crowned Auckland champions last month. Captain Callum Dimond said he "loves" the grade.

"There's no other way to describe it, so fun. It's cool because it feels like you're having a run around with your mates."

Those run arounds have led Dimond, a 28-year-old site manager for a commercial plumbing company during the week, to a game at Sky Stadium. He said his Pakuranga side had been aiming for the final.

"After last year, after losing the Auckland final, we realised how good we could be. So we came back, started this year and set some goals. The first goal was to win the Auckland comp…the second was to be the best in the country. The more we played, the more we realised we could be that team," he said.

Percival said his HSOB side was ready for the challenge.

"We've always maintained that if you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best. Currently Pakuranga are undefeated in the Auckland comp, so in terms of big teams you want to beat, you always want to beat those Auckland teams - especially being from Canterbury.

"The boys are absolutely pumped. It was an absolute goal of ours to be on the biggest stage, where the lights shine the brightest. That's where the big players stand up, it's possibly the biggest game they'll ever end up playing. There's a huge amount of excitement in the group and I know that we're pumped to defend our title and put on a show for not only our club but the under 85 grade."

Dimond shared his opposing captain's enthusiasm for the boost the U85kg grade would get from the final.

"It's huge that it's on the telly and getting huge exposure this year. I really do hope that it'll expand the grade, because it's bloody good fun. I feel like it's a great way to get the numbers playing rugby back up, hopefully some kids are watching it and they think, 'Yeah, I'll give that a crack'."

However, the match will not end with the final whistle. The U85kg grade is as well known for its social aspect as well as the fast-paced, on-the-field action, so both teams will be competing in a traditional boat race post-match. Both Percival and Dimond claim their sides are undefeated in boat races so far this season, with the HSOB skipper saying that "it's sometimes more meaningful than the game".