A 14-man Bay of Plenty have still managed to put Northland to the sword in Whangarei this afternoon, running out winners 46-22.
The Bay were reduced down to 14 men after Fa'asiu Fuatai was sent off with 20 minutes remaining, given his marching orders after connecting his shoulder to the head of Northland's Renata Roberts-Tenana.
It was a slow start for both sides as they exchanged penalties early. However once Bay of Plenty got their roll on they never looked back, taking a 22-10 lead at the break.
While Northland struck first in the second half, they couldn't make the most of it as Bay of Plenty showed their strength, scoring seven tries in the rout. Even with 14 men, they extended their lead, scoring two tries with a man down to claim all five points.
