Bay look sure to lose star back

By CHRIS RATTUE

Bay of Plenty rate star halfback Kevin Senio at only a 50-50 proposition for Sunday's Ranfurly Shield defence against Canterbury in Mt Maunganui.

Senio damaged an ankle midway through the first half while scoring one of the Steamers' two tries in their heavy defeat by Taranaki in New Plymouth on Saturday night.

It was a brilliant run by Senio, who veered across field then through the defence, but it came at a heavy cost as he was twisted in a tackle on the line.

His absence was keenly felt by the Bay, who after two weeks of Ranfurly Shield highs were thumped 58-14 by a superb Taranaki display on a cold New Plymouth night.

X-rays cleared Senio of any fractures, but he may have ligament damage and the extent of the injury will not be known until swelling goes down. Senio will be absolutely vital to Bay of Plenty's hopes of holding on to the shield.

They have also lost inside back Jeff Ierome, who broke a leg in the Taranaki match, although Grant McQuoid might return this week and Allan Bunting should be back after recoveirng from a broken foot. Flanker Nili Latu returns from suspension.

Cotter said Senio's departure was keenly felt at Yarrow Stadium, and allowed Taranaki to target Glen Jackson more.

"You've got to credit Taranaki for their performance - we got beaten in almost every facet of the game," he said.

"It has been a very busy two weeks, but I think the euphoria of the shield is over and the reality of the NPC has arrived.

"Our intentions were good, but we also saw it as a practice game for the next shield defence.

"We're realistic about our abilities in this competition - we don't rate ourselves a top team.

"We needed to target particular areas of our game, but I didn't think we'd get that big a lesson.

"We'll be reviewing everything. We've come down to earth with a thump."

Taranaki were in rampaging form, despite losing first five-eighths Brock James midway through the first half. He was replaced by NPC rookie Scott Ireland, who shifted from fullback, but Taranaki hardly missed a beat.

Taranaki, with No 8 Brent Thompson one of the standouts, notched the four-try bonus point by the end of the first quarter.

They played a low-risk game, kicking themselves into Bay of Plenty's territory and then pressuring the visitors into errors.

Bay of Plenty were expected to struggle in this match after two draining Ranfurly Shield games and the heavy commitments it brought for a union who had never held the log o' wood before.

And they face an ominous task on Sunday, with Canterbury hitting their straps against a disappointing Otago side in Christchurch on Friday night.

The Crusaders' Super 12 dominance has not always been reflected by Canterbury in the domestic game and they are sure to head north hell-bent on grabbing a major trophy early in the season.


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