Bay on wrong side of plenty

North Harbour 41 Bay of Plenty 8

North Harbour resumed their quest for the NPC playoffs last night as they ended any faint repeat semifinal hopes for last year's competition darlings Bay of Plenty.
In miserable conditions at Rotorua, Harbour played with the aplomb and sense missing from their armoury last week. Setting the tone was skipper Rua Tipoki, whose workrate and defence were lightning rods for his side to follow.

Either side of him in midfield, Luke McAlister and Anthony Tuitavake's range of skills was too much for the Bay, a team which has managed only one win this season, and that by just a point against Taranaki.

A lack of belief and uncertainty showed in the Bay's work while Harbour were in much greater control of their emotions and strategies.

Lock Greg Rawlinson responded in the lineouts where he made several valuable steals while loose forwards Brent Wilson and Tom Harding were very accurate.

Last week against Otago at Carisbrook, Harbour worked their way into a useful halftime lead before they disintegrated. They were not about to squander an equally useful halftime margin last night, with much of the credit due to the composed direction of McAlister.

He shelved the chipkicks which spoiled his work last week and either ran at the Bay line, kicked for territory or fed his outsides. It was an authoritative performance from the All Black utility.

Harbour kept grinding out the points and the Bay's frustration and error rate increased as they were forced to chase the match while Harbour scored two late tries to give them the bonus point.

It was a tale of two five-eighths early with Bay of Plenty's Murray Williams leaving the field with a serious wrist injury as McAlister set about creating some Harbour chances. He made a couple of early incisions but his greatest attribute was his goalkicking in a swirling wind at the International Stadium.

But there was a hiccup when Harbour conceded the first try after conceding a midfield turnover. The ball was spread wide, Grant McQuoid sent a tantalising grubber near the Harbour line which fullback George Pisi spilled and Bay wing David Johnston planted for the try.

Harbour's reply was not far away. They were reading the Bay midfield moves well - perhaps as a result of Tipoki's research on his former team - and applying severe pressure.

The analysis worked when Tuitavake's powerful tackle on McQuoid shook the ball clear and into the grateful possession of Zar Lawrence who sprinted 60m to score. McAlister's conversion and another penalty just before the break gave Harbour a handy 19-8 lead.

The pattern continued after the break, with McAlister kicking a further penalty before Harding slithered across after his forwards had punched several drives deep into the Bay 22.

Another Rawlinson lineout take led to a driving try for replacement prop Adrian Donald six minutes from time with Harbour sensing that the bonus point in the difficult conditions was within reach.

North Harbour (Z. Lawrence, T. Harding A. Donald, J. Nasmith, tries; L. McAlister 5 pen, 2 con, J. Nasmith, con).

Bay of Plenty (D. Johnston, try; M. Delany, pen) Halftime: 19-8