Sydney University v Northern Suburbs – Live on 7TWO

Sydney Uni continued to build momentum towards this year’s finals with an impressive victory over Warringah at Pittwater last weekend and have now won four of their last matches.

Waratahs captain Dave Dennis will play his first match of the season for the Students adding further experience to the ever-improving Uni pack.

Saturday’s match will be the club’s last at No.1 Oval ahead of a move to a new facility and is also Tom Carter’s 200^th match.

Despite beating Easts last weekend, Norths will fall just short of making this year’s finals regardless of Saturday’s result. They’re looking to send skipper Ben Matwijow off with a victory.

“They are a very experienced outfit so it will be tough. We need to maintain possession and work harder on our transition between attack and defence,” coach Simon Cron told Rugby News.

Click here: Tom Carter reflects ahead of 200th match.

Eastwood v Warringah

Surprisingly, both second place Eastwood and fourth place Warringah head into Saturday’s final round clash coming off a loss.

The Woodies were far from their best in the wet at Coogee last week and are looking to return to basics this week.

“Warringah have been the form team of the second round, they are well coached with strike power right across the park. They’ll be desperate to get to fourth place, so they have plenty to play for,” John Manenti said.

The Rats suffered their first loss since round 11 last weekend, with Greg Marr hoping his side can return to their winning ways ahead of the finals.

“Eastwood will bounce back after a loss to Randwick so they will be tough. We are looking for a good start and better game management,” Marr said.

Manly v Randwick

 Manly can claim the minor premiership with victory over Randwick this weekend, but will need to be at their best against a Galloping Greens side coming off an impressive victory over Eastwood.

The Marlins are close to full strength one week out from the finals with fullback Brendan Hartmann returning for this weekend’s clash.

Randwick sent their rivals a message with a strong showing against the defending premiers in the wet at Coogee last weekend and are looking to continue to build momentum towards the finals.

Despite last weekend’s victory, Shannon Fraser still wants his side to improve on Saturday.

“We need to improve our ability to maintain possession and reduce our unforced errors.”

Randwick can finish as high as fourth with a victory on Saturday, but will be forced to return to Manly Oval next weekend if they lose to the Marlins this week.

Eastern Suburbs v Parramatta 

Easts fell just short against Norths last weekend and are desperate to claim a victory this weekend after a disappointing 2015.

“Parra are physical and motivated so it won’t be easy. We need to play up tempo this weekend and control the game at key times,” Darren Coleman said.

The Beasties welcome back Tyrone Viiga and Josh Toole this weekend, with fullback Jarome McKenzie set to play his first match since breaking his leg during the NRC last year.

Parramatta fell just short against West Harbour last weekend (31-29) and can move above Easts into 10^th position with a win at Woollahra on Saturday.

West Harbour v Southern Districts

Whilst West Harbour are out of finals contention, it’s hard to rule them out against Souths this weekend.

At their best, the Pirates attack is near unstoppable and could cause a lot of headaches for Matt Barr and the Rebels this weekend.

Souths welcome back halfback Dewet Roos and fullback Paul Asquith for this weekend’s clash and are looking for a fourth straight victory.

“West Harbour have big forwards and exciting outside backs so we’ll need to be at our best on Saturday. It’s vital that we continue to build momentum and confidence towards the finals,” Barr told Rugby News.

Penrith v Gordon

It’s been a tough year out at Nepean and the Emus would love nothing more than to claim a victory before the end of the season.

“We’d love to finish on a good note,” coach Teki Tuipulotu told Rugby News.

“We know they will be very hard and competitive though,” he added.

Gordon are also looking to finish their season on a high, but know if won’t be easy against the Emus.

“Penrith have shown considerable improvement in recent times and will come out full of endeavor for the final game,” Geoff Townsend told Rugby News.

“We squandered two or three opportunities last weekend (in a 32-17 loss to Manly) that could’ve been telling so patience and execution is the key this weekend.”