A TAURANGA VIEW
It's a shame Tauranga rugby fans have been robbed of a potential Bay of Plenty Steamers home game because of something as mundane as traffic congestion.
The 2012 draw was confirmed this week and Bay of Plenty Rugby Union chief executive Mike Rogers revealed Tauranga's Baypark Stadium would host three games, and Rotorua International Stadium two.
It's safe to assume the original draw would probably have been a 4-1 split in Tauranga's favour, based on the larger level of support for the team in the Western Bay.
While ITM Cup games in Rotorua usually attract about 6000 fans, games in Tauranga lure crowds of between 8000 and 10,000.
But the demonstrated commitment of Western Bay fans to the Steamers couldn't reverse the fact that the Friday, September 14, game against Auckland was set down for a 6.05pm kick-off. That slot on a weeknight will cause traffic mayhem at Te Maunga Junction and the Baypark roundabout, as evidenced by shambolic scenes in the past.
It would be mayhem on a provincial level, it has to be said, but unwelcome and unnecessary mayhem all the same.
So the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union has quite rightly elected to move the game, rather than struggle to comply with the Baypark traffic management plan. Baypark Stadium is a dog. It's in an awkward place and the closest seat to the action is about 30m away. It's a speedway, and attempts to sell it as a quality rugby ground will always fall short.
The stadium should never have been constructed around a speedway, on a major intersection. But it will hopefully ensure that in the future, rugby fans are not robbed of opportunities to see their team in the Western Bay simply because of after-work traffic. - Bay of Plenty Times
OUR VIEW
The more Steamers games we can lure to Rotorua the better.
And we should embrace any opportunity we get to demonstrate why we were for years the home of Bay rugby.
There are good reasons Rotorua gets the big games - the Lions and Rugby World Cup matches are examples - over provincial rivals such as Tauranga. Key among them is our fantastic stadium, and it's a crying shame to see games go to a much maligned facility in another centre. But Tauranga is a much bigger city, and always likely to provide bigger crowds.
Not that we shouldn't try to outdo them.
So, mark September 14 on your calendar. It's a Friday night, early evening game, ripe for a party atmosphere. Get a work group together and head along to support our boys against Auckland.
It may just be my rose-tinted memory but we usually give them a thumping don't we?
The bigger the crowd we get, the better our case for more games. - Kim Gillespie
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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