BoP plea to fans: come out to support us

By CHRIS RATTUE

Bay of Plenty rugby is making a call to arms to their supporters for Sunday's promotion-relegation clash against Hawkes Bay.

The injury-hit Bay of Plenty side are heavy favourites to maintain their first division status by beating Hawkes Bay at Rotorua's International Stadium.

A reasonable crowd of around 6000 is expected to turn out. But that is a long way short of the extraordinary support Rotorua gave the Chiefs in the Super 12 this year when John Mitchell's side won all three games early on to set up the franchise's resurgence.

Bay of Plenty rugby's chief executive, Jon Brady, hopes local fans will put in one more big performance this year to help the Steamers to maintain their first division status.

The Steamers, coached by Gordon Tietjens, will go into the game without injured loose forward Dallas Seymour (shoulder), lock Jason Chandler (foot), halfback Chris le Lievre and midfield back Dale Rasmussen (thigh), while livewire wing Sam Hala is in major doubt because of a hamstring problem and captain and lock Mark Weedon is battling a knee problem.

There were just 4000 people at Tauranga nearly a fortnight ago to watch Bay of Plenty score one of the most significant wins in their history against Counties Manukau, a result which saved them from automatic relegation and eventually sent the Steelers tumbling into the second division.

While the immediate financial rewards were not high for Bay of Plenty - for various reasons the match profit was less than $10,000 - the long-term benefits could prove to be enormous.

And Brady said yesterday that a big turnout of fans in Rotorua would help to ensure the side remained in the top division.

"The East Coast fans have shown how important support can be. It is based on family and friends, and that is something we can do as well," he said.

"We realise people here could be over-cooked on rugby. It has been a long season and we've had a lot of games, starting with the Super 12.

"But they could wake up next week and find we're in the second division, and then there would be complaints. They've still got the opportunity to help to support their team in this vital game.

"All the losses we had in a row affected morale, but in the last two or three weeks the local people have been a lot more positive and realised how hard this team have been working.

"It is a long process trying to establish a team in the first division and, hopefully, our supporters are starting to realise that and realising how well we've done.

"We've certainly done better than any of the other teams who have been promoted in recent years."

Brady said he had talked formally and informally with a number of Bay of Plenty players who have wondered where their futures might be if the team are relegated.

Some players such as Seymour, whose major goal is to be part of the national sevens side at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in the middle of next year, have split priorities.

But Brady said most were committed to another season with the Steamers, and there were a host of development squad players "champing at the bit" for a chance in the first team.