Bay of Plenty Steamers and Volcanix 2021 draws confirmed

Bay of Plenty Steamers player Joe Webber looks for a gap during last season's semifinal against Tasman. Photo / Getty Images

The Bay of Plenty Steamers face the daunting prospect of taking on the defending champions Tasman in their opening game of the 2021 season.

In the women's competition, the Volcanix will face off against 2020 finalists Waikato.

The news comes with the announcement of the official Bunnings Warehouse NPC and Farah Palmer Cup draws this morning.

The Tauranga Domain will play host to the Tasman match as the Steamers look to even the score against the side that beat them in last year's Premiership semifinal.

"We are excited about having Tasman on our home turf," Steamers head coach Daryl Gibson said.

"It will be a great opening challenge for the team, and we expect the boys to take it to the Mako up front and put on a show for the home crowd."

Meanwhile, the Volcanix prepare to call Tauranga home for the entirety of their 2021 campaign with two games at Blake Park and one at the Tauranga Domain.

"There is an obvious benefit of having two of our three home games right here at Bay of Plenty Rugby HQ," Volcanix head coach Rodney Gibbs said.

"The girls train out on this field every day, and I'm sure that familiarity will play into their favour."

Tauranga also hosts four of the five home games for the Steamers, with only the final game of the season locked in for Rotorua International Stadium.

"The Wellington versus Steamers [match] will be a great game for Rotorua International Stadium to host, being later in the season and with warmer weather," stadium manager Crispian Stewart said.

"We've managed to attract some great events for the stadium and we're stoked to be able to add a Steamers game to the line-up."

Volcanix loose forward Kendra Reynolds is tackled by Bernadette Robertson of Wellington. Photo / Getty Images

A later than usual draw is the primary reason behind the two teams' 3-0 and 4-1 split, with Rotorua International Stadium becoming largely unavailable due to earlier event bookings like the inaugural Youth Cup competition.

"We have been working with Bay Rugby on the new Youth Cup with 12 representative teams from the three sub unions converging on the stadium for a weekend of competition," Stewart said.

"We are excited to be the host for this inaugural event."

The official 2021 draw also includes the highly anticipated Katikati home game as the town prepares to host their second consecutive pre-season contest against North Harbour on July 30.

Katikati Rugby Club spokeswoman Liza Hodson said the event was sure to cause "a massive stir amongst the locals".

"The game in 2019 was a massive success, and we are very excited for this year," she said.

"Having the Bay play right on our doorstep is a big deal, especially for our kids who get to see their heroes in action.

"We have seen an increase this year in junior rugby participation with the addition of two new teams, and initiatives like these play an integral role in stimulating the growth of the game in our regional communities."

Both the Steamers and Volcanix will endeavour to improve on their 2020 campaigns, which saw them finish third and fifth, respectively.

Bay of Plenty Volcanix 2021 Farah Palmer Cup Draw
• Auckland v Bay of Plenty, Saturday, July 16, 12.05pm, Eden Park, Auckland.
• Counties Manukau v Bay of Plenty, Saturday, July 24, 2.05pm, Navigation Homes Stadium, Pukekohe.
• Bay of Plenty v Waikato, Saturday, July 31, 2.05pm, Blake Park, Mount Maunganui.
• BYE - Week 4, Friday, August 6 – Sunday, August 8.
• Canterbury v Bay of Plenty*, Saturday, August 14, 4.35pm, Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch.
• Bay of Plenty v Otago, Saturday, August 21, 12.05pm, Blake Park, Mount Maunganui.
• Bay of Plenty v Wellington*, Sunday, August 29, 12.05pm, Tauranga Domain, Tauranga.
• Semifinals: Friday, September 3 – Sunday, September 5.
• Finals: Friday, September 10 – Sunday, September 12.
*Televised doubleheader opportunity with the Bunnings Warehouse NPC
Finals dates are subject to operational and broadcasting logistics

Bay of Plenty Steamers 2021 Bunnings Warehouse NPC Draw
• Bay of Plenty v Tasman, Sunday, August 8, 2.05pm, Tauranga Domain, Tauranga.
• Southland v Bay of Plenty, Sunday, August 15, 2.05pm, Rugby Park, Invercargill.
• Auckland v Bay of Plenty, Saturday, August 21, 7.05pm, Eden Park, Auckland.
• Bay of Plenty v Northland, Sunday, August 29, 2.05pm, Tauranga Domain, Tauranga.
• Bay of Plenty v Waikato, Saturday, September 4, 2.05pm, Tauranga Domain, Tauranga.
• Canterbury v Bay of Plenty, Sunday, September 12, 2.05pm, Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch.
• Hawke's Bay v Bay of Plenty, Sunday, September 19, 2.05pm, McLean Park, Napier.
• Bay of Plenty v Taranaki, Sunday, September 26, 4.35pm, Tauranga Domain, Tauranga.
• Bay of Plenty v Wellington, Saturday, October 2, 7.05pm, Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua.
• Counties Manukau v Bay of Plenty, Sunday, October 10, 4.35pm, Navigation Homes Stadium, Pukekohe.
• Semifinals: Friday, October 15 – Saturday, October 16.
• Bunnings Warehouse NPC Premiership Final: Saturday, October 23.