King Country's first Meads Cup final, and a 39-38 thriller sets up the Lochore Cup

The Heartland Championship turns 20 this year, and its finals weekend has the kind of stories the competition was built for: a union chasing the trophy named after its most famous son for the first time, and a semifinal decided by a single point after 100 minutes.

Saturday: the Meads Cup, and King Country's first shot at it

Mid Canterbury host King Country at the Ashburton Showgrounds on Saturday 17 October, 1.05pm. Mid Canterbury are the defending champions and topped the round robin on 33 points; they beat Thames Valley 37-28 in their semifinal. King Country finished level with North Otago on 32 and went to Oamaru to beat North Otago 36-24.

For King Country it is a first-ever Meads Cup final. The union, formed in 1922, has won the second-tier Lochore Cup in 2015 and 2024, but never played for the top prize, which carries the name of its own Sir Colin Meads: 55 Tests for the All Blacks and 139 games for King Country before his death in 2017. Union president Paul "Ox" Mitchell put it plainly: "It'd be huge, for King Country in general." The union has set itself a target of 3,500 registered players by 2030, and a day like Saturday does that kind of recruiting on its own.

Sunday: the Lochore Cup, after a semifinal for the ages

South Canterbury host Whanganui at Fraser Park, Timaru, on Sunday 18 October, 1.05pm, live on Sky Sport. Both unions are chasing a third Lochore Cup: Whanganui won it in 2014 and 2021, South Canterbury in 2013 and 2019, and both finished the season 5-3.

South Canterbury beat Wairarapa Bush 36-26 at home, with halfback Willie Wright kicking 14 points to become the competition's all-time leading scorer on 594. Whanganui's path was wilder. At Levin Domain they were locked 31-31 with Horowhenua Kapiti at full time after Samu Kubunavanua's injury-time try and Tevita Asi's conversion. In extra time Beniamino Vota scored and Asi added a penalty; Leighton Ralph's try in the corner brought Horowhenua Kapiti back to 39-38 with about five minutes left, and Thomas Barnsley's late penalty attempt fell short. Alekesio Vakarorogo scored twice for Whanganui, with Jack Yarrall and Jamie Hughes adding maul tries. "We showed a lot of resilience today," said co-captain Doug Horrocks, who plays his 48th game for the union on Sunday.

Whanganui's week, off the field too

Whanganui Rugby also named a new patron: Bob Barrell, the union's fullback from 1963 to 1977, who played 139 games and scored around 1,016 points, topped the national scoring list in 1976 and had an All Blacks trial the same year. He follows the late Arch Roebuck, patron from 2002. And the union's under-16 boys finished third at the Saracens Cup, the Hurricanes region's under-16 tournament hosted at Whanganui Collegiate, where Poverty Bay beat Wairarapa Bush 28-19 in the final.

If you have never been to a Heartland final, this is the weekend. Showgrounds, a hill to sit on, and teams of farmers, tradies and students playing for the places they come from.