"So confident in fact, that I have bet a case of Hawke's Bay apples against a box of kiwifruit, that we will hold the shield."
Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller was equally confident the shield would pass hands on Saturday.
"It will be a great game, but I am confident our boys will pull it off and return the shield to the real Bay for the second time in its history. I'm looking forward to chewing on a few apples and polishing the shield badge."
Also confident the Steamers would reclaim the shield was long-time supporter Hori Leaming, perhaps better known as Hori BOP.
"It's coming home. It's done the rounds. It's coming back to where it belongs," he said.
Mr Leaming said the signs all pointed to victory for the team this afternoon. Critics pointed out the Magpies had a strong side but Wellington also had a good team and they were beaten by Otago this week, he said.
"I think the team's been improving slowly all year - they've had a couple of hiccups."
The team learned lessons during their recent losses and he was confident they would not make the same mistakes.
"They are better than what we saw against Taranaki. They'll go down there and give it a shake. We are a better side this year. We're looking better and better all the time. We're going to win the shield again this year," he said.
"It's all thanks to the coaching management by Clayton McMillan. He's doing a great job of coaching that team. The players are really stepping up."
Mr Leaming was looking forward to supporting the team from the stands when they take to the field in Napier this afternoon.
"These challenges don't come around very often. They are few and far between. When we get them we've got to go against them with a passion. It's the holy grail of New Zealand rugby."
