Steamers face condensed schedule

Bay of Plenty will twice play three games in the space of nine days as part of a compressed ITM Cup schedule to accommodate the Rugby World Cup.
Provincial sides have been asked to pack in midweek matches on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday during the two-pool competition, with the ITM Cup draw released over the weekend seeing the Steamers opening their campaign against Counties-Manukau in Pukekohe on Sunday, July 17. Bay of Plenty will play five home games - three of them in the first two weeks - against North Harbour, Waikato, Wellington, Hawke's Bay and Canterbury.
Mt Maunganui's Baypark Stadium will host the Harbour (July 23), Wellington (July 31) and Canterbury (August 23) games, with Waikato (July 26) and Hawke's Bay (August 13) at Rotorua International Stadium.
The clash with the Magpies is also timed for Bay of Plenty's key centenary celebrations.
The only potential hitch is with the home game at Baypark against Canterbury. Because the ground is being used as a Rugby World Cup training venue it will need clearance to host the ITM Cup game.
Bay will play three midweek matches in all and face two tough stretches - three games between July 23-July 31 against North Harbour, Waikato and Wellington - and another busy nine days from August 20-28 against Auckland, Canterbury and Southland which wraps up the round-robin.
The season starts just five days after the final of the new Super Rugby season, which will be on July 9, and finishes a day after the All Blacks play the Wallabies in Brisbane in the final match of the truncated Tri-Nations. The Rugby World Cup starts on September 9.
Steamers coach Sean Horan said the draw was a double-edged sword and would involve "plenty of trial but hopefully not too much error" as coaches got their heads around the condensed timeframe. Bay will play all six premiership teams and four of the teams in the second-tier championship division. The seventh-placed team in the premiership is automatically relegated to the 2012 championship, while the winner of the championship is promoted to the next year's premiership competition.
"It's tight but it's the same for everyone ... and speaking to all the coaches it'll be just over a month's worth of rehab, recovery, tactical training, captain's run and then play," Horan said.
"As soon as we made the premiership we knew it was going to be tough, not only against the other six sides in the premier division but in the four games against championship teams because I'm sure they want nothing more than to tip the premier teams over."
Squad depth will be key, tempered by the financial reality that most won't be able to carry the number of players they used to.
"If you've got the ability to contract a fairly good squad and have a decent run of luck with injuries then you'll be there or thereabouts at the end," Horan said, "but with the salary cap in and unions losing money then every avenue you turn this season will be a challenge."
Bay of Plenty's NPC rugby draw
Round 1: Sunday July 17: Counties Manukau v Bay of Plenty, Pukekohe, 4.35pm.
Round 2: bye
Round 3: Saturday July 23: Bay of Plenty v North Harbour, Mount Maunganui, 5.35pm.
Round 4: Tuesday July 26: Bay of Plenty v Waikato, Rotorua, 7.35pm.
Round 5: Sunday July 31: Bay of Plenty v Wellington, Mount Maunganui, 4.35pm.
Round 6: Bye
Round 7: Thursday August 4: Northland v Bay of Plenty, Whangarei, 7.35pm.
Round 8: Tuesday August 9: Taranaki v Bay of Plenty, New Plymouth7.35pm.
Round 9: Saturday August 13: Bay of Plenty v Hawke's Bay, Rotorua, 7.35pm.
Round 10: bye
Round 11: Saturday August 20: Auckland v Bay of Plenty, Auckland, 2.35pm.
Round 12: Tuesday August 23: Bay of Plenty v Canterbury, Mount Maunganui, 6.05pm.
Round 13: Sunday August 28: Southland v Bay of Plenty, Invercargill, 2.35pm
Finals: weekend of September 3.