Plains Rangers were brought down with a heavy thud on Saturday. They faced the fired up young Whakatane Reserve side. A number of positional changes seemed to backfire on Rangers who found themselves down 3 - 0 inside the first ten minutes. Rangers clawed their way back into the game and held their own for the rest of the half. Just after the break, Jason Pullar pulled a goal back. Playing in the unaccustomed position of striker, player of the day Pullar ran onto a through ball and did well to score. Whakatane came straight back and extended the lead again. This was to prove decisive, although Bas Overdevest salvaged something with an excellent header from a corner. A late red card collected by Mark Thompson indicated the frustrations of the day.

This week there is no game, due to the Easter break. The following Saturday Rangers will host Rotorua Suburbs.