KEY POINTS:
Bay of Plenty are approaching a series of potential speed bumps which will fully test their road worthiness for the remainder of the Air NZ Cup rugby competition.
Coach Kevin Schuler's side have quietly gone about their work in the past month to emerge as one of just two unbeaten sides after four rounds.
Wellington's surge to the top of the table with four bonus-point wins has attracted widespread admiration, but Bay of Plenty's progress has largely gone under the radar.
That ends this week, with Bay of Plenty travelling to the capital on Saturday to meet Wellington, marking the start of a tough stretch for Schuler's players.
Wellington are the first of four Super 14 franchise base teams Bay of Plenty will confront in as many weeks, with Otago, Auckland then Canterbury their next assignments.
Schuler dares not think that far ahead, with the threat posed by Wellington demanding his full attention this week.
He has a high regard for his Wellington opposite Jamie Joseph, a former All Blacks teammate, who has a talented team at his disposal.
Wellington have looked both highly organised and confident, their 26-7 win over Southland in Invercargill last week notable for the team's composure and patience after being forced to defend for long periods.
It took Wellington a long time to get on top before three late tries underlined their superiority.
"They can score from anywhere on the park, either through their pace or their power," Schuler said.
"They have a lot of good players and they back themselves."
Schuler had a difficult initiation at the top level last season with Bay of Plenty, who failed to flatter in finishing 13th after posting just one win.
The turnaround has been remarkable considering administrative issues left the Bay of Plenty union facing a deficit of close to $1 million.
Schuler said the team had benefited enormously from a far superior preparation period, in which he worked hard to build up the players' base fitness.
That had resulted in Bay of Plenty lasting better physically as well as mentally, with sharper minds leading to better decision making.
Schuler is looking forward to locking horns with Joseph to get a true gauge of where Bay of Plenty sit after earlier wins over Tasman, Counties-Manukau, North Harbour and Northland.
"Traditionally we are expected to at least be competitive against those teams and we are really looking forward to testing ourselves against the Super 14 base sides," he said.
"We'll know more after this weekend - and more again in another month - where we are at."
Bay of Plenty are already ahead of schedule, after Schuler had targeted three wins from their opening four encounters.
One team well behind schedule are Waikato, the 2006 champions who have yet to win a match.
They have only a draw against Manawatu to show for their efforts and their plight might well worsen as they face Auckland in Hamilton on Saturday night.
Auckland have not covered themselves in glory either with two wins and two losses, but it is surely only a matter of time before the reigning champions hit their straps.
The fifth round starts tomorrow night with Southland hosting last-placed Counties-Manukau in Invercargill before Otago play Hawke's Bay in Dunedin and Taranaki take on Northland on Friday.
Manawatu will fancy their chances against North Harbour in Palmerston North on Saturday, then the Crusaders franchises go head to head on Sunday when Canterbury play Tasman in Christchurch.
- NZPA
