Injuries blunt BoP's arsenal

Bay of Plenty are bloodied, Hawkes Bay need to excel themselves. It's going to be close, says CHRIS RATTUE.

Injuries could be the leveller when Hawkes Bay try to take Bay of Plenty's first division spot in tomorrow's promotion-relegation clash in Rotorua.

Bay of Plenty appear to have everything in their favour - from their preparation in the first division to home advantage in this sudden-death clash.

But they have suffered some serious damage this year, to their pride and morale at times, but more importantly to their personnel.

They have lost Dallas Seymour, Jason Chandler, Chris Le Lievre and Dale Rasmussen among others, and lock Paul Tupai is suspended.

While that does not tip the balance completely against Bay of Plenty, it has definitely taken the edge off their advantage.

"It is a bit of a journey into the unknown, although we've always been at each other's throat in second division semifinals and finals," said Bay of Plenty coach Gordon Tietjens, whose future with the Steamers is uncertain because he wants to concentrate on the sevens team for the Commonwealth Games next year.

"The dampener for us has been that while you always expect injuries, you expect most of the players to come back, whereas ours have been long-term ones.

"It has really come back to haunt us.

"We've taken a physical battering this year and struggled to recover. I believe this game is very even."

On the plus side, wing Sam Hala appears to have recovered from a leg injury and is listed to play.

Hawkes Bay were hardly convincing in their second division final win over East Coast, when they were outscored five tries to two.

Hawkes Bay controlled the game in patches, but were in turn taken out of the game, especially towards the end, against a side not rated as a prime example of rugby fitness.

The retention of 18-year-old Napier Boys High school fullback Glen Horton, a member of the national secondary schools side, has allowed Hawkes Bay coach Mark Shaw to field a stable side for the past three weeks.

Bay of Plenty may have been disrupted by injuries, but they were inspirational against Counties Manukau, when they out-enthused their relegation rivals a fortnight ago. And they pushed a very good Northland side to the limit in the last round.

Bay of Plenty also have a superior playmaker and controller in Glen Jackson and a backline that would seem to have more inventiveness than the Magpies. So Bay of Plenty must be favoured to win.

* Twenty minutes of extra time will be played if the scores are tied after 80 minutes.

If it remains a draw after that, Bay of Plenty will retain their first division status.