Bay of Plenty beat Canterbury to reach first NPC final

Bay of Plenty celebrate a try to Joe Johnston in the semifinal against Canterbury. Photo / Photosport

Bay of Plenty scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to book a maiden spot in the NPC final with a 32-20 home victory over Canterbury.

The 1976 champions will look to win a second title against either Wellington or Waikato who square off in the second semifinal tonight. A Waikato win would mean a home final for the Steamers despite finishing fourth on the table.

Bay of Plenty trailed the nine-time champions 13-8 at halftime before storming to victory with three straight tries and a Kaleb Trask penalty to lead 32-13 before the Cantabs scored a late consolation try.

Joe Johnston, Willis Halaholo, Leroy Carter and Semisi Paea all crossed over for the Steamers with Trask kicking two penalties and two conversions.

“A huge relief. The last few weeks we’ve been pretty close. These boys want it so bad. To put up a performance like that against a good Canterbury side feels pretty awesome today,” Steamers skipper Kurt Ekland said after the win.