Sam Nock will be looking for another strong match as Northland face Bay of Plenty in the Mitre 10 Cup. Photo/Photosport.nz
Sam Nock will be looking for another strong match as Northland face Bay of Plenty in the Mitre 10 Cup. Photo/Photosport.nz
While Northland have looked far better than their 2015 counterparts, a win in the Mitre 10 Cup table has continued to elude them.
They'll fancy their chances against a Bay of Plenty side who has also failed to register a win this season.
Both sides have lost to Otago duringthe last week in similar circumstances. Both Northland (28-33) and Bay of Plenty (32-33) got close and had their chances, but were unable to knock off the Championship leaders.
Northland have made a raft of changes to their line-up following a good effort in a 52-34 loss to competition front runners Canterbury.
Only Matt Matich, Shane Neville and Josh Goodhue remain in the starting pack, with an entirely different front row packing down.
Phil Kite and Howard Sililoto replace props Matt Talaese and Namatahi Waa, who move to the bench while captain Matt Moulds returns to start at hooker ahead of Jordan Olsen.
Neville returns to the second row to pair up with Goodhue, while Kara Pryor returns at openside flanker and Tom Robinson earns his first start of the season at blindside flanker.
Jack Ram moves to the bench, leaving no room for Aorangi Stokes.
Three changes have been made to the backline with Peter Breen returning to first-five, Warren Dunn replacing Tamati Tua at centre and Waisea Lawebuka coming onto the right wing in place of Monty Lama.
Peter Breen is injected back into the starting lineup for Northland's Mitre 10 Cup match against Bay of Plenty. Photo/Tania Whyte
Bay of Plenty, also winless in 2016, won't go down quietly.
They've lost their three games by a combined 14 points, highlighting their defensive prowess. They also have the second best lineout in the competition, a definite weakness in Northland's game.
Northland will look to break their defence, having far more success than their opponents in both clean breaks and offloads.
Northland's offloading ability has been an evident strength, with Solomona Alaimalo, Jone Macilai, Breen and Pryor all ranking in the top 10 in the competition.
The only Bay of Plenty player who has shown a consistent ability to offload is Joe Tupe. The 25-year-old loose forward has been a threat all season and is someone Northland will want to keep quiet.
Northland: Solomon Alaimalo, Waisea Lawebuka, Warren Dunn, Jordan Hyland, Jone Macilai, Peter Breen, Sam Nock, Matt Matich, Kara Pryor, Tom Robinson, Shane Neville Josh Goodhue, Phil Kite, Matt Moulds (c), Howard Sililoto; Reserves: Ross Wright, Namatahi Waa, Matt Talaese, Josh Larsen, Jack Ram, Malcolm MacLeod, Dan Hawkins, Tamati Tua.
A Look At The Rivalry Played: 57 (1950-2015) Northland wins: 33 Bay of Plenty wins: 23 Draws: 1
Last match: Bay of Plenty 37-5, 25.09.15 Last Northland win: Northland 30-27 - 25.09.14 in Mt Maunganui Biggest Bay of Plenty score: 51 (51-3) - 08.10.05 in Mt Maunganui Biggest Northland score: 49 (49-23) - 28.09.02 in Whangarei Biggest differential: Bay of Plenty by 48 (51-3) - 08.10.05 in Mt Maunganui
