Bay eye Super 12 and All Black spots

1.00pm

If five points were a soothing balm for a shaky 29-24 Bay of Plenty win over NPC rugby cellar-dwellers Northland, imagine what a couple of All Black jerseys and a clutch of Super 12 contracts would do.

Bay of Plenty continued their march towards the NPC semifinals, though not without a few scares on Saturday, as Northland bravely tried to sustain a run of painful Steamers' losses in Whangarei.

With a match against lowly Southland in Rotorua this week, Bay of Plenty are fifth on the table with 23 points, behind Wellington (26), Harbour (25), a faltering Taranaki (24) and a Canterbury side (23) with a better points differential.

Up in the empty stands of Whangarei's ITM Stadium were four more reasons for Steamers fans to smile.

At one stage, All Black and Super 12 selectors threatened to out-number the home crowd as national coach Graham Henry, his assistant Wayne Smith, Blues coach Peter Sloane and Crusaders head Robbie Deans looked on.

With just one point from seven matches, it's a fair bet they weren't there to watch the blue-shirted Northland players.

Henry announces his 30-man All Black squad for November's Northern Hemisphere tour in less than a month and the Super 12 squads are named six days later, on October 29.

Despite poor conditions and a muddling backline, several Steamers players still managed to shine in front of the high-powered quartet.

While Wayne Ormond's claims to an All Black jersey are well-documented, prop Ben Castle's name could be added to a lengthy list of potential dark horses and bolters after another outstanding scrummaging display.

He has rarely been bested this season and quality tightheads are a rare breed in this country.

Fullback Adrian Cashmore also offered Deans a ready-made solution to the Crusaders' fullback problems, particularly as his future with the Chiefs is uncertain.

Chiefs coach Ian Foster was unwilling to endorse Cashmore as a likely member of his squad earlier this month, despite calling the former All Black into his semifinal campaign this year and some impressive NPC form.

The Steamers' locking stocks may also have appealed to Deans, as Brad Thorn is heading back to league and with injury prone Norm Maxwell doubtful.

The selection pressures on Foster could become huge if several results pan out this weekend.

Two points behind Bay of Plenty are arch-rivals Waikato, the major supplier of Chiefs Super 12 contracts for the past nine seasons.

Should Bay of Plenty beat Southland with a bonus point and Waikato lose to North Harbour on Sunday, Waikato will not be able to finish higher than their eastern neighbours and will certainly miss the semifinals.

That's a prospect looked upon with glee by Bay of Plenty management who were distraught last year when their side, despite finishing one spot below Waikato on the table, could only contribute four players to Foster's initial Chiefs squad.

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES

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