After a good preseason and being able to field a strong squad, Bay of Plenty were confident of their chances in the Mitre 10 Cup Championships this season.
They've shown that confidence was for good reason, piling on the points in a 50-7 thrashing of Otago in Tauranga.
It was clear early that Otago were going to have their hands full as the Steamers put the pressure on from the outset and opened the scoring in the 13th minute through former NRL player Abraham Papali'i. His was the first of four tries in the first half for the hosts, who took a commanding 26-0 lead into the break.
They didn't relent in the second half, scoring four more tries to reach a half century, while Otago could only muster one through Highlanders back Sio Tomkinson. For the visitors, they'll be thanking the schedule makers that the clash wasn't on home soil, with the Ranfurly Shield currently sitting in Dunedin.
However, it will be on the line next time out and they'll want to improve on the pitch against Southland.
