Steamers hope to end 23-year drought

1.00pm

It has been a rugby season of unprecedented record-writing for Bay of Plenty.

The Ranfurly Shield has been historically won and lost, Bay overcame Auckland at Eden Park for the first time since the 1970s and beat Waikato in an NPC match for the first time since 1987.

But there's one more statistic that needs to be addressed, especially if the race for a spot in the NPC playoffs is to be a realistic goal.

Not since 1981 has a team from the province beaten their counterparts from Otago.

Several current Bay players were not even born when that game was played.

But if ever there was a right time to correct that anomaly, it is now.

Bay of Plenty coach Vern Cotter has had a relatively calm buildup to the match, not battling the hysteria of the Ranfurly Shield or disrupted by citings.

There was the terrible news of halfback Kevin Senio being ruled out for the season but Senio's future was already under a cloud before Sunday's Shield loss to Canterbury.

And with Simms Davison staging an amazing recovery with a bruised sternum, it means for the first time Cotter has been able to name the same side in consecutive weeks.

Ironically, the 33-26 loss to Canterbury may yet prove to be a positive for Bay of Plenty's overall NPC campaign.

"There's still a championship to play and we picked up a bonus point so we've got to now concentrate on that," Cotter said. "The Shield was magnificent but also slightly disruptive. Now let's focus on the championship."

Overall Otago's record is daunting, having won 18 games against Bay of Plenty since the first match in 1938, while Bay have only won seven.

It's not a record Otago coach Wayne Graham prefers to dwell on though. "They've rebuilt now. I notice a lot of punters are picking them so we probably go into the game as the underdogs," Graham said. "They're a form side, so it's a test for our guys. We're sensing we're in for one big game."

There are several key matchups tomorrow, not least the battle of the big men in the scrums.

Bay of Plenty props Davison and Ben Castle -- who both spent time in the Otago club rugby scene -- are up against a monstrous trio in Carl Hoeft, All Black Carl Hayman and Anton Oliver sandwiched between them.

Otago's forwards have had a considerable burden on them so far this season with the much-publicised state of the Carisbrook turf and Graham hopes his team can handle the super-quick Blue Chip Stadium field. "We've had to focus on how to win in the conditions so it has restricted us and the guys naturally don't like playing that way. We're looking forward to getting on a dry track."

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES

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