Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Editorial: Rotorua clubs should push for rule change

By Kim Gillespie
Rotorua Daily Post·
22 Jul, 2014 05:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Whakarewarewa feel the venue for the Baywide club rugby grand final shouldn't be in held in Tauranga.

Whakarewarewa feel the venue for the Baywide club rugby grand final shouldn't be in held in Tauranga.

It's not hard to see why Whakarewarewa feel aggrieved over the choice of venue for this weekend's Baywide club rugby grand final.

Rotorua's top side beat Tauranga Sports at the weekend to qualify for the final, and they'll face Mount Maunganui Sports, who beat top-ranked Te Puke.

At the end of the regular season, going into the semis, the finalists Whaka and the Mount had placed third and fourth respectively.

As sports fans we've been conditioned by regional and international competitions to expect the highest placed qualifiers to host finals matches.

But Whaka won't be playing host this weekend. They have to travel to Tauranga Domain.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Unlike, say, the ITM Cup, where there's extra incentive to qualify higher so you can enjoy home advantage in the finals, the Baywide works on a points system. The four finalists from the premier competition and the premier development competition get points for their sub-region, and the sub-region with the most points plays host to both games. It appears the priority is playing the finals together, rather than allowing home advantage.

But Rotorua clubs would always be hard-pressed to get enough points to outweigh the Western Bay, and would be right to push for change when the rule is discussed at the end of the season.

The union considers Tauranga Domain a neutral venue - but it's only a few minutes from the harbour bridge and the Mount. And while it's not Mount Sports' home ground, it may as well be.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Whaka fans can at least comfort themselves that their track record at the domain isn't too bad.

As our reporter noted on Monday, three times the Rotorua side have travelled to Tauranga Domain for semifinals since 2006. Three times they have emerged the victors. It's like, he wrote, a home away from home.

This time it's the final, and with a little extra fire in their bellies thanks to the venue snub, let's hope our boys can bring the championship back to their true home.

Discover more

Rugby: Whaka fans set for big final

25 Jul 08:00 PM

Editorial: Dining precinct a sure winner

27 Jul 05:00 PM

Rugby: Rotorua and Eastern clubs threaten Bay split

15 Aug 09:00 PM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

06 Jul 10:51 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Kāinga Ora axes housing project, reveals new plans

06 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

06 Jul 10:51 PM

Information sought about man in green coat and gumboots on Pine Drive, Murupara.

Kāinga Ora axes housing project, reveals new plans

Kāinga Ora axes housing project, reveals new plans

06 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM
Caught on tape: Identity finally revealed of Jaguar-driving teen behind CBD rampage

Caught on tape: Identity finally revealed of Jaguar-driving teen behind CBD rampage

06 Jul 06:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP