Michaela Blyde looks to spin the ball wide for Rangiuru. Photo / Supplied
2018 World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year Michaela Blyde is no stranger to success.
While much of that success has come on the world stage, playing for the Black Ferns Sevens, on Saturday she was in the thick of it at club level.
With the Covid-19 pandemic still causing chaos overseas and the Olympics postponed, the Black Ferns Sevens players are stuck in New Zealand. Many have turned to club rugby to keep their skills sharp in the meantime.
On Saturday, Blyde's Rangiuru, the defending champions, travelled to Rangataua for the Baywide Premier Women's final. There were familiar faces in the Rangataua line-up too as Blyde went up against national team-mates Kelly Brazier and Mahina Paul.
Down 31-29 and with time up, Rangiuru had possession as they threw everything at Rangataua, searching for a match-winner.
Phase after phase, they marched their way up field before spreading the ball right where Blyde, playing fullback, received it in space.
As she has done countless times in the black jersey, she got on the outside of her marker, fended off another would-be tackler and dived over in the corner, securing back-to-back titles for the women in red, white and blue.
Blyde refused to take credit for the match-winning moment.
"In all honesty, I don't put that down to who finished it, it was what happened five minutes before that with our whole team sticking together, even though every single one of us was seeing stars.
"The fact that those girls kept their heads up, kept playing and created the space on the outside. It's such a long game, you forget how long 80 minutes is, but I'm so proud of the girls, they've faced a lot of adversity this year."
This year, Rangiuru started the season without 13 of the players who helped them win the 2019 title. Throughout the year several of the players lost loved ones and, one week out from the final, their captain Christie Yule was ruled out with injury.
When you throw in the uncertainty around Covid-19 restrictions leading up to the game, Blyde said just showing up to play was an achievement to be proud of.
"To be honest, that score doesn't justify who the better team was, that was such an even game. When you look at the players on both teams there are quality Volcanix girls, quality Black Ferns 15s girls as well. To have a winner on the day is almost unfair because it was such a tight game but I'm happy."
She said it was a season full of uncertainty in terms of international rugby but she had found a home at Rangiuru.
"To come into the Rangiuru family and be able to play some rugby, despite what's going on in the world, we're very grateful to have the opportunity to throw the ball around, score some tries and make some tackles."
The game was a tight and nervy affair from the outset. Rangiuru dominated possession in the early stages but could not find a way through.
They were punished for their inability to put points on the board when Brazier, playing first five for Rangataua, broke through and raced 50m to score under the posts. She converted and Rangataua took a 7-0 lead.
Rangiuru hit back half an hour in when centre Riisi Pouri-Lane powered onto a flat ball and roared through a gap to score. The try was converted and the score locked at 7-all.
Rangataua found their feet in the final 10 minutes of the first half and scored consecutive tries through Kate Henwood and Olivia Richardson to lead 19-7 at the break.
Rangiuru came out firing in the second half and, nine minutes in, they were back in the game with a try to Eretin Williams. They scored another through winger Unique Clarke and were within touching distance, trailing 19-17.
Rangiuru hooker Te Urupounamu McGarvey, whose barnstorming ball running was a feature throughout the match, gave her side a 24-19 lead with a converted try 25 minutes into the second half.
Rangataua hit back through wingers Mererangi Paul and Olivia Richardson before Rangiuru's Clarke scored her second with only a few minutes left on the clock. That left the score at 31-29 to Rangataua, setting up a frantic finish and Blyde's match-winning moment.
RUGBY
Bay of Plenty Women
Premier Final:
Rangiuru 34-31 Rangataua
Western Bay of Plenty Men
Premier Semifinals:
Tauranga Sports 29-20 Rangiuru
Te Puke 22-27Te Puna
Premier Development Semifinals:
Tauranga Sports 28-20 Te Puna
Rangataua 24-27 Judea
Senior Reserves:
Eastern Districts 16-16 Greerton Marist
Tauranga Sports 29-0 Pāpāmoa
Te Puna 10-36Katikati
Eastern Bay of Plenty Men
Division 1:
Galatea/Waiohau 0-29 Ōpōtiki
Whakatāne Marist 52-29 Poroporo
Paroa 24-36 Te Teko
Ruatoki 47-13 Edgecumbe
Central Bay of Plenty Men
Premier:
Kahukura 0-33 Whakarewarewa
Waikite 18-39 Ngongotahā
Marist St Michael's 12-20 Rotoiti
Premier Development:
Kahukura v Reporoa - Kahukura won by default
Whakarewarewa v Ngongotahā Eagles - No result available
Ngongotahā Hawkes 50-0 Waikite
Marist St Michael's v Murupara - Marist won by default
Eastern Pirates - Bye
FOOTBALL
(Bay of Plenty teams only)
WaiBop Premiership:
Ōtūmoetai 1-5 Flying Mullet Pāpāmoa
Tauranga City 4-2 Huntly Thistle
Ngaruawahia Utd 3-2 Waiariki
Gisler Architects Te Awamutu 2-7 ninetyblack Taupō
WaiBop Championship:
Tauranga City 4-4 Cambridge FC
Waikato Unicol Reserves 1-5 Te Puke Utd
Whakatāne Town 1-1 Taupō
Ōtūmoetai 2-2Flying Mullet Pāpāmoa
Tauranga Old Blues 1-0 Hamilton Wanderers
WaiBop W-League:
Whakatāne Town 4-1 Ōtūmoetai
Waiariki - Bye
Hamilton Wanderers v Tauranga City - No result available
Tilemax Pāpāmoa 6-2 Melville
Bay 1:
Ōtūmoetai Legends v Pāpāmoa - No result available
Ōtūmoetai 5-1 Katikati
Waiariki v Tauranga City - No result available
Whakatāne Town 12-4 Kawerau Sports
Bay 2:
No results available
Women's Bay 1:
Kawerau Sports 5-2 Plains Rangers
Te Puke - Bye
Blue Rovers Vintage v Tauranga City - No result available
The jury's marathon deliberations ran for two weeks.