Broson Murray itching to face former Taniwha team

It's the game he's been waiting all season for, although Bay of Plenty prop Bronson Murray is having to content himself with the fact any support he gets from his Whangape whanau tonight will probably be of the silent variety.
In any ordinary year Murray would this week have been basking in the afterglow of his 100th game for Northland, although a switch of allegiance to Bay of Plenty this season will send him out onto Whangarei's Toll Stadium as Steamer, not Taniwha.
Family will head south en masse from Whangape in the far North for the clash.
"They're true blue Northlanders at heart and the ones who can't make it to Whangarei will find a pub somewhere to watch the game. I'm pretty sure underneath there might be a bit of support for me but probably not much for the Bay. At least not too loud."
Murray is loving life in the Bay, helped that his team are unbeaten after four games. Any qualms he felt about the decision to switch provinces quickly disappeared.
"It was a tough call at the time because Northland's where I grew up and played 96 [first class] games. But this is the big one I've been looking forward to since I came down here and there'd be a problem if I wasn't up for it," said the 28-year-old, whose last game for Northland was the 36-24 round-robin win against Bay of Plenty last year in Whangarei, a loss that killed the Steamers' playoff hopes.
"Sean's given me the opportunity to play and Bay of Plenty's my team now. I'll be holding nothing back when I take pitch and I'd expect they won't hold much back either. That's what rugby's all about. I've been part of this Bay team for the last couple of months and the only mates I've got are the ones wearing yellow and blue."
Murray gets a start tonight at tighthead prop, with head coach Sean Horan ringing the changes from the side that smoked Wellington 32-0 in Mount Maunganui.
Halfback Taniela Moa, in his last game for the Bay before joining Tonga's World Cup squad, second-five Steve Kefu and wing Lelia Masaga are the only starters backing up from Sunday, with Masaga now the only player in the squad to have started every game. Flanker Luke Braid has moved to No 8 and will captain the side, with Reporoa-raised Carl Axtens getting his first start on the blindside, pairing with his New Zealand under-20s teammate Sam Cane, who is at openside.
Murray and Pingi Talaapitaga will book-end the frontrow while the biggest change in the backline sees first-five Chris Noakes at fullback.
Murray is living at Papamoa beach, where he's got the rod out and line in the water every chance he gets, and equates the laid-back atmosphere at Bay HQ to Northland. "The boys have made it real easy for me and the other new guys to fit in and it feels like I've played my 96 games here."
With so many new faces in the pack there was a noticeable edge at the team's solitary training on Tuesday.
"It's a new-look pack and Sean's keeping everything fresh by throwing a few of the younger boys in there. There's no lack of keeness to go out and perform." Axtens, 19, who grew up watching his father Steve play for Bay of Plenty, echoes the point. "I've had a few 10 minute spells off the bench but it's great to finally start. There's a few of us younger guys pretty keen to get stuck in and stamp our mark."
Bay might top the charts on 19 points, but one aspect that's still bugging them is the scrum where they've yet to dominate. Murray is promising no lack of effort tonight.
"We're holding our own and getting good enough ball but we're one of the smaller packs in the competition so we're fighting from the get-go. We might not be dominating but we're happy enough to win solid set piece ball and do what we can to muddle it up. We'll go backwards all day if we're winning games 32-0."