PAPEETE: While the Federal Championship playoffs loom next week, the Tahiti Cup (formerly Polynesian Cup) reached its semi-finals stage last weekend.

Tefana cruised to a surprisingly easy 3-0 win over the season upstarts Tamarii Faa’a while national league champion Pirae ended Dragon’s fairytale run with an emphatic 5-1 drubbing.

The stage is now set tomorrow (Friday) for the Cup final between Tefana and Pirae. Manu Ura won the Tahiti Cup last year and went on to represent Tahiti in the French Cup qualifying series. This year’s winner will represent Tahiti in the 2004 French Cup qualifiers.

The Tahiti Federal Championship top four playoffs and promotion-relegation series begins 3 March. Pirae, Manu Ura, Tefana and Tamarii Faa’a have booked their berths in the top four while Venus, Dragon, PTT and Arue will try and survive the cut and retain their spots in the 2004-05 Federal Championship.