The Air New Zealand cup has gone quite well. Over the past couple of weeks we have seen some upsets, like Manuwatu beating Canterbury, Counties beating Auckland, and Waikato at the bottom of the lot.

But which have been the dominant teams of the competition this year? Well, it has to be Wellington and Bay of Plenty. Wellington fans have had to expect the unexpected in previous years, but not this time. They are patient, and when they get good-quality ball they know what to do with it, and they are much tighter on defence.

The other surprising team at the top of the table are unbeaten Bay of Plenty. They have shown this year that they are ready to keep their momentum and progress through to the top. But they are not the same team as they have been during the past four years or so, since they had that magnifcent year in 2004.

The big question is which teams should go from the competition after 2008? Well, they have already answered that one - by relegating Northland and Tasman. But my question is should it be these two teams because I think they are getting the support from their province and are playing better than they have done in the past.

Northland shouldn't go because they have had a proud history in the first division with some superb wins - not to mention the support of crowds like the 15,402 who watched Friday night's performance. And Tasman should not go because they are a new province to the first divison and need time and plenty of support if they are to be compettive.

But what about the salary cap - surely that has got to be a big part in this sacking of these provinces? I mean, they have to pay these guys big, big money to play.