It's official.
More than that, it's emphatic.
Around here, we've always known that Hawke's Bay was the rightful holder of the title of "The Bay".
But the Magpies' storming 32-13 win over the Steamers on Saturday night in the Battle of the Bays should have left no room for dispute.
For the busloads of
Magpies fans who made the trip to Rotorua to cheer on the Bay (the real Bay, that is), it would have been a huge thrill, not only to see the win, but also to see Israel Dagg and Zac Guildford playing together and in top form before heading off to All Black duties.
And it would have all but erased the memory of last year's 30-11 loss to Bay of Plenty at McLean Park - a winning margin the Magpies matched exactly this weekend.
It was a Hawke's Bay v Bay of Plenty Facebook page that proposed settling the question of which region was "the real Bay" through the first-round rugby clash between the two teams. The winner would take bragging rights and the title of "The Bay" for the rest of the year.
While still basking in the glow of Saturday's win, it seems like a fair enough deal.
And the result was clearly so emphatic that, as of this morning, no one had even bothered to post it on the Facebook page and Magpies fans were clearly too secure in their real Bay status to brag.
Though if you ask me, it shouldn't really be up for discussion at all - you only need to consider that the Steamers' home game on Saturday was played in a city that's not even on the coast.
As for the Magpies, I won't pretend to know the ins and outs of the ITM Cup, but I think I'm right in saying if they leave the patchy form of the early season behind them and keep going in this vein, we could be heading for a good result.
C'mon the (real) Bay!
