Two Tauranga indoor bowlers are hoping to take advantage of the rub of their hometown green when New Zealand and Australia clash in Mount Maunganui this week.

Mount Sports Centre will become an indoor bowls hub on Thursday when the two nations square off in the biennial international fixture.

New Zealand Mat Black member Paul Smith and vice-captain Fiona Wilson prepare for this week's Trans-Tasman International at the Mount Sports Centre. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

And for the first time in the competition's 40-year history, Tauranga will act as hosts – with a pair of hometown heroes eager to impress and help the Mat Blacks retain the Henselite Trophy.

Fiona Wilson is back for her third trans-Tasman championship, while Paul Smith is set to make his Kiwi debut. Wilson plays in Pairs with Teri Anderson and the Women's Fours, while Smith takes his place in the Men's Triples and lead in the Men's Fours.

'It's the pinnacle of our sport because it's really only New Zealand and Australia that play it,” says Wilson, who is NZ's vice-captain.

While she has two trans-Tasman showdowns under her belt, the 40-year-old from Welcome Bay remains fully focused on the hard work ahead.

The bowlers have been training twice-weekly since March along with the Mat Blacks, gathering for a two-day camp in Wellington last month ahead of regrouping on Sunday.

Each country has different rules and conditions, so to even the playing field, the match is played on special mats, which are longer and thicker than the ones commonly used in New Zealand but shorter than those used in Australia.

The match is also played under a different set of rules due to variations between the two countries.

'I believe it's going to be tougher than two years ago when we whitewashed them,” says Wilson. 'I expect them to come out firing.”

Smith, 39, is rapt to represent his country, which has wiped away his disappointment from missing out on a national trial two years ago.

'I was pretty stoked to have been selected but I was feeling confident [after the national trials],” says Smith.

Playing the game he loves for 28 years, Smith admits nothing can prepare him for the nerves of hearing the national anthem and sheer scale of the event.

Though this will all quickly dissolve once he's in the thick of the action.

Each team is comprised of the top seven men and woman from each country.

They combine to play in Men's and Women's Singles, Men's and Women's Pairs, Mixed 8 Bowl Pairs, Mixed 6 Bowl Pairs, Men's and Women's Triples, Men's and Women's Fours and Mixed Fours.

Games consist of three sets of various ends. Each team that wins their set wins the Australasian Medal, with the overall scores being combined to decide the winner of the Henselite Trophy.

The Trans-Tasman Competition takes place at the Mount Sports Centre from May 14-16. Entry is a gold coin donation.

Two sessions will be played daily, with the first at 9am and the second at 1.30pm.