Rugby: Clubs widen Bay rift

The Bay of Plenty club rugby crisis has taken another step forward. Whakarewarewa and Mount Maunganui (above) do battle in the Baywide premier final this year. Photo / Andrew Warner

The deep divide in Bay of Plenty rugby just got deeper.

The Eastern Bay sub-union has formally requested a special general meeting to push through radical changes not wanted by Western Bay clubs.

Six remits have been tabled for the meeting set down for December 3. Of huge significance is that Central Bay clubs have sent letters to the union supporting the remits.

The key changes to be voted on are for Baywide rugby to not begin before April 1, premier clubs to not have to field a compulsory development team, contracted Steamers to be evenly allocated pre-season to all the premier clubs in the Bay, all (39) Bay clubs to each have one vote, and a regional subcommittee comprised of two members from the three sub-unions to run club rugby with no interference from Bay of Plenty Rugby.

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union board chairman Paul Owen said the application for a special general meeting was the first he could remember requested by one of the union's members.

He was not prepared to give his personal views on the issues but he and the rest of the board members did not have to be neutral.

"We have not fully discussed all the remits. We have a board meeting on the 24th [November] and we will certainly be sending out stuff that will clarify our position on all of this," Owen said.

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union chief executive Mike Rogers said he was looking forward to talking through the issues.

"We want to have an open and honest discussion about what is in the best interests of rugby in the Bay," Rogers said. "There are some concerns from Eastern Bay and Central Bay clubs so we need to get those on the table so we can understand them. We need more detail about what they are trying to achieve and what they want to work with us on.

"I am approaching it as a positive step for us. We want a really good conversation in what is in the best interests of Bay rugby and what is our purpose. We are here for the players and to foster and grow rugby at all levels. I think we need to go back to that really simple, basic premise. That is what Bay of Plenty rugby is about."

- How many votes clubs have at the special general meeting depends on the number of teams they have competing in Bay of Plenty competitions.