Canterbury 34 Bay of Plenty 3
KEY POINTS:
If there was one common thread running through the first round of the Air New Zealand Cup, it was that the poor old New Zealand Rugby Union just might have got it right when they talked about breathing life - and competitiveness - into provincial rugby.
After last year's mismatches and that truly awful pool and repechage system, most of the matches so far have shown that last season's 'lesser' sides have come up the scale of competitiveness and are taking way longer for the big boys to put away. Manawatu, Northland and Counties Manukau all came into that category although, ahem, Otago didn't.
And so it was with a fiery Bay of Plenty against a rusty-looking Canterbury last night, although the Cantabs have often had their hands full with the boys from the Bay down the years.
It took 26 minutes before a scorching Stephen Brett break had a determined Bay side scrambling for the fire extinguishers. Canterbury stayed on attack after that, building momentum, with props Wyatt Crockett and Greg Somerville putting the squeeze on the Bay scrum.
But Canterbury made rather too many errors, turned the ball over too often and Bay forwards like big No 8 Solomon King and lock Aaron Rameka are happiest crashing away at the opposition in the loose.
They turned around at 3-3, a bit of a victory for the Bay even if they rarely threatened the Canterbury line. It was another victory of sorts for their forward fire that Reuben Thorne replaced Michael Paterson at lock for the second half.
However, it is in the backs where the smaller unions can be most exposed and the Bay had no-one of Brett's class, even if his opposite Murray Williams also had a competent game.
In these days of the All Black midfield migrating to Europe, there is already talk of switching Brett to second five-eighths.
That may be an option - it's where Dan Carter started out, after all - but Brett has such startling acceleration that it demands the space he gets at first five and which makes him such a threat to the defensive lines.
Only a desperation tackle from Bay flanker Warren Smith saved a Brett try from a Brett break - he was over the line but couldn't force it - but fullback Scott Hamilton scored from the ensuing pressure.
Canterbury found some more flow to their play in the second half, with loose forwards Kieran Read and Johnny Leo'o starting to show through.
Winger Steve Yates scored after being shown a yawning chasm in the determined Bay defence, even if it did seem that a decoy runner had impeded that defence.
Then they scored the try of the night - a pinpoint kick by Brett setting Hamilton and winger Paul Williams away to set up replacement winger Sean Maitland for the try.
Hayden Hopgood finished matters after Brett played a key role in setting up the bonus point try - as well as all the others.
So what began as a night to admire the stubbornness of the Bay turned into one to admire the slickness of the Brett.
Canterbury 34 (S. Hamilton, S. Yates, S. Maitland, H. Hopgood tries; S. Brett 3 cons, 2 pens; H. Gard con), Bay of Plenty 3 (M. Williams pen). HT: 3-3.
