Tasman 26 Bay Of Plenty 33
KEY POINTS:
Where did they pull that one from?
In an off-season when they lost last year's coach Andre Bell in rancourous circumstances, and a season in which nothing has gone right, nobody, bar a few hardy souls, would have expected Bay of Plenty to win on the road in Blenheim.
But win they did. In some style too, nabbing three tries and the bonus point.
The star of the show was fullback Lance MacDonald, playing his 15th, and blazer, game.
In the build-up to the match, MacDonald told the Daily Post he was looking to make a statement.
MacDonald made his debut against Auckland last season and started the first two games of the 2007 campaign on the wing. He was benched for the third as the Steamers looked for a more aggressive approach out wide.
"I've focused on [aggression] the past couple of weeks," said MacDonald.
"We had a bit of a meeting... he [backs coach, Steve Miln] just wants me to get angry. He just teases me and pokes me to p*** me off."
While much of the glory went MacDonald's way for his three tries through his impeccable timing in joining the attacks, it was perhaps blindside flanker Colin Bourke who made the biggest impact for the winning side.
Apart from kicking three penalty goals and a conversion to keep off any threat from the homeside, Bourke linked his team's attacks and defence at crucial times with a powerful all-round game. He missed a seventh-minute penalty goal and then dropped a catch with the goal line only metres away in the 20th minute before BOP muffed another chance four minutes later - when Michael Delany lost the ball in a maul after halfback Jamie Nutbrown was held up over the line.
However, the Bay's attacking ability and dominance finally paid off when MacDonald straightened a backline attack and side-stepped two forwards and Tasman fullback Robbie Malneek to open the scoring in the 28th minute.
Bourke's experience of backplay also came to the fore when he took a pass from a ruck and glided through a gap to set up winger Charles Baxter for his team's second try for a 12-6 halftime lead. Bay of Plenty's relentless attacks enabled MacDonald's second try, in fact it followed a play of about a dozen phases which eventually caught Tasman short out wide.
Bourke and Taylor traded penalties before the Bay looked to have sewn the game up with the bonus-earning fourth try - scored again by MacDonald as a result of Delany slipping through a hole following a lineout. The home side found some momentum in the last five minutes, scoring two tries through midfielder Joel Iggo and captain and flanker Alex Ainley before Bourke landed his third penalty goal on the fulltime buzzer.
Tasman 26 (J. Iggo, A. Ainley tries; T. Taylor 4 pens, J. Foote 2 cons), Bay Of Plenty 33 (L. MacDonald 3, C. Baxter tries; C. Bourke 3 pens, con; M. Delany con). Ht: 6-12.
