Richard Boock: Saluting NPC's dream team

COMMENT

If there is any justice in the world, the Bay of Plenty rugby team should soon receive a letter of heartfelt thanks from the national body for almost single-handedly breathing life back into its NPC.

In a week when all attention will be focused on the upcoming final between Canterbury and Wellington, it can only be hoped that the team who did more than any other to capture the public imagination will not be so easily forgotten.

Another fairytale ending might have been beyond the Bay on Saturday night, but there was still a strong moral to their story, not least the message that the most modest sides have an important part to play within the national game.

Their final chapter against Canterbury was predictable enough, the tale of an overwhelming underdog who needed everything to go their way, and particularly when it came to the match officials.

As it happened, the Bay might have still had a prayer at the halfway mark had it not been for some mystifying decisions from referee Steve Walsh and his trusty sidekicks Paul Honiss and Lyndon Bray.

It didn't look good for the Bay from the moment Honiss deemed the diminutive Rua Tipoki had somehow delivered a high tackle on the towering Chris Jack, and it only became worse when Bray joined the fray later in the first half.

How Bray ruled a critical Bay of Plenty pass forward in the 34th minute - effectively wiping out a certain try - was a mystery to many at the ground and shown to be a costly gaffe on television replays.

It's true, it might not have been enough to sway the balance, but rugby games can change dramatically in sudden-death situations, and who knows what might have happened had Bay scored.

For all that, the only certainty was that this team of men, with real jobs, real character and real passion, were always going to be the heroes of the first-division competition, win or lose on Saturday night.

People sometimes talk of "mongrel" in rugby teams; well, Bay of Plenty had mongrel. They talk of pride and loyalty and commitment, and the Bay had all of that.

There was an earthiness to their rugby, and it was complemented by a simple but direct style of play.

The same could be said for Taranaki's brave campaign, and the way they embodied the no-frills, no-nonsense type of game that used to serve New Zealand rugby so well.

Ferdinand might have missed the playoffs, but they still played a huge part in the first division and took a heavy toll on any teams who took them lightly or were ill-prepared.


Yes, it might be Wellington and Canterbury duelling for the title at the Cake Tin this weekend, but Bay of Plenty will remain the season's outstanding memory, after snaring the Ranfurly Shield and beating Auckland, Waikato, Otago and Wellington.

They were more than simply the beaten semifinalists, they were a model for sporting inspiration and success - the story of the little team that dared to dream.

High point - The Kiwis' hair-raising 16-all draw with the Kangaroos on Saturday, a performance that made us feel good about New Zealand rugby league for the first time in a year.

Low point - The New Zealand cricket team's travel arrangements in Bangladesh. Four hours in a bus in stifling temperatures is not exactly the best way to prepare for a test match.

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