Loyalty keeps Upton with BoP

1.00pm

If it wasn't for a dash of luck and a touch of loyalty, Bernie Upton could well have been lining up at home in tomorrow night's NPC rugby match between Bay of Plenty and Taranaki in New Plymouth.

The rugged Bay of Plenty lock played as a loan player from Wellington last season and was sounded out about staying in the Hurricanes franchise and plying his rugby trade in Taranaki.

"I was still contracted to Wellington when I came up last year and Wellington gave me the opportunity to go to Taranaki so I could still play my club footy in Wellington and then play NPC at the end of the year," Upton said.

"It was enticing to still play club rugby in Wellington but last year was a pretty special year for me with Bay of Plenty.

"I made a lot of new mates and had a handshake agreement with Vern halfway through the year so it was never realistic that I was going to go."

He's doubly glad he didn't now.

Upton, who played his blazer game for the union against Auckland, heads south today with Bay of Plenty second on the NPC table, the Ranfurly Shield tucked away at home for at least another week.

Remarkably, tomorrow's third-round clash will be between the two front-runners of the competition, with Taranaki having disposed of North Harbour in the first round and picking up a bonus point by thrashing Southland last week.

Like Bay of Plenty, Taranaki are a tough, unspectacular side bereft of household names but with an all-consuming desire to play as a team.

Despite incredible wins over Auckland and Waikato, this is probably Bay of Plenty's stiffest test of the season so far. They are no longer automatic underdogs and Taranaki were distraught after the Bay pipped them in Tauranga last year to lose the battle for the best provincial team outside of a Super 12 franchise.

Bay of Plenty coach Vern Cotter has a reasonably settled line-up again this week, making only two forced changes to the starting line-up.

Flanker Andrew Leota gets his first NPC start, replacing the suspended Nili Latu, while Ngarimu Simpkins slots in at hooker for Aleki Lutui, whose knee strain sees him start the match on the bench.

At least Cotter has largely been without the distractions the Shield brings, after a huge week taking the trophy around the province last week. Bay of Plenty: Adrian Cashmore, Apoua Stewart, Rua Tipoki, Jeffrey Ierome, Anthony Tahana, Glen Jackson, Kevin Senio, Paul Tupai, Andrew Leota, Wayne Ormond (captain), Bernie Upton, Mark Sorenson, Ben Castle, Ngarimu Simpkins, Simms Davison. Reserves: Aleki Lutui, Taufa'ao Filise, John Moore, Colin Bourke, Ruki Tipuna, Grant McQuoid, Damon Kaui.

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES

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