For me, midweek night rugby has until now meant shivering on the sideline at under-6 club training.
But last Tuesday I was able to swap that for a brilliant Bay Steamers' trouncing of our country cousins from the Waikato.
Yes, the boys in blue and gold came over the hill and put
on one hell of a show for the Rotorua International Stadium crowd.
The win was enjoyable enough. That we beat our Chiefs stablemates - the big brother in the Super 15 franchise family - was a major bonus, though whether it will be reflected in game time for Bay players next season remains to be seen.
I've been a big Bay fan for longer than I care to mention (it'll make me sound old). And there have been some great and not so great moments along the way.
I won't pretend I was around for the historic NPC win in 1976, but I did see the boys beat Australia, including David Campese, in 1990, pick up the Ranfurly Shield (finally) in 2004, and give the Lions a good tussle in 2005. Unfortunately I also remember all too well 1991's relegation to division two and 1996's heartbreaking one-point Shield loss to Auckland.
Whether or not you make the trip to Baypark for Tauranga-based matches, chances to see the Steamers here on their old home ground are rare enough that it pays to get along to those games when the opportunity arises.
Those who made the effort on Tuesday were rewarded with a cracker of a match.
And there's another one on the horizon.
The "real" Bay will take on the "other" Bay when the Magpies come to town for the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union's centenary match on August 13.
We'll tell you this week how you can win tickets to the match along with a prize pack of Steamers goodies by voting for your most memorable Steamers moment.
