Nathan Harris makes a break for the Bay of Plenty Steamers against Otago. Photo / George Novak
Nathan Harris makes a break for the Bay of Plenty Steamers against Otago. Photo / George Novak
If you were to write an instruction manual for winning rugby games, the opening line would read "win the battle up front".
That's exactly what the Bay of Plenty Steamers did against Otago at the Tauranga Domain yesterdayand it set the platform for an emphatic 50-7 victory.
The 2019 Steamerssquad is blessed with attacking weapons with game breakers such as Joe Webber, Chase Tiatia and Emoni Narawa lining up in the backs. All they need is good ball and field position.
Against Otago, the Steamers had the opposition forward pack going backwards faster than an Olympic rower. They won multiple penalties and turnovers at set piece time which allowed them to demonstrate their free-flowing attacking skills.
Otago had no answer as the Steamers ran in eight tries, the perfect start to their Mitre 10 Cup Championship campaign.
Otago had much of the possession in the early stages but struggled to make any real inroads against a staunch Steamers defence. Having absorbed the early pressure, the Steamers bounced back to run in four first half tries and take a commanding 26-0 lead into the break.
Otago managed one try in the second half but it was of little consequence as the Steamers scored four more and cruised to victory.
After the match, head coach Clayton McMillan said the result was a "pretty good" start to the season.
"Otago are always a tough team so it's very pleasing to come away with a bonus point win at home. It got a little bit scrappy in the second half but otherwise a really pleasing performance.
"The set piece early on was pretty massive, we got some penalties which gave us territory and possession and thankfully we were good enough to convert in the first half. It was just a matter of keeping the foot on the throat in the second half."
The Steamers had five debutants in their match day squad. Former NRL player Abraham Papali'i started at No 8 and had some good touches, including a try, while Kurt Eklund, Tom McHugh, Tevita Mafileo and Pryor Collier all got a run off the bench.
Bay of Plenty Steamers halfback Richard Judd in action against Otago. Photo / George Novak
"It's a pretty fast and brutal game so you run through your bench on most occasions. They all got a run today and a few of them really put their hands up for a starting spot next week.
"It's a happy day for them, it's always a proud day to represent your province at Mitre 10 Cup level, a few of them did that for the first time today and it's great for them and their families."
McMillan said the team's focus would switch to playing Waikato in Rotorua this weekend in the next few days but for now he just wanted them to enjoy the win.
Hooker Nathan Harris has eased the blow of missing out on All Blacks selection by throwing himself into the Mitre 10 Cup campaign with the Steamers. He was pleased with the start to the season and enjoying his time with the team.
"It's a great start to the season, the forwards got it rolling well and the backs really fired out wide. We've got a few things to work on and we'll take that confidence into next week.
Former NRL player Abraham Papali'i makes a run against Otago on his Bay of Plenty Steamers debut. Photo / George Novak
"[Being back with the Steamers] has been great, it's a great place to live, a professional environment so it's awesome to be back in the blue and gold hoops this year.
"[The squad] is looking pretty good, we've got some good firepower out wide and some good forwards up the front. We just need to carry the momentum into next week."
The Steamers play Waikato at Rotorua International Stadium on Sunday, kickoff is at 4.35pm.
Bay of Plenty 50 Otago 7 Bay of Plenty try scorers: A Papali'i, M Karpik, F Fuatai (2), A Ross, J Webber, L Campbell, J Robertson. Otago try scorers: S Tomkinson.
