Single moment sparks Bay into winning mode

Bay of Plenty 38 Counties Manukau 11

Nili Latu might have been embarrassed by the improvised headgear he was seen wearing towards the end of yesterday's match - a baby blue ice-pack strapped to the top of his bald dome - but he had little else to be ashamed of.

The Bay stormed to a bonus-point victory over a tired-looking Counties Manukau at Blue Chip Stadium, booking early favouritism in the race for one of the two quarter-final spots open for the stragglers.

First five-eighths Murray Williams contributed 23 points in an impressive display.

Aside from a gruesome patch from midway through the first half to the break, the Bay were rarely troubled by Counties who looked as if they were suffering from a Shield challenge hangover.

The Bay contributed 30 unanswered second-half points after making just eight before the break, despite a great start.

Impressive flanker Latu scored from a classic lineout take and drive that should have had Steve Hansen drooling at the mouth.

It was clinical - clean ball in the middle, a well-controlled drive and Latu dotting under minimum duress. And this from a forward pack without Bernie Upton.

Unfortunately, that was about as clean as it got in the first half.

Counties got physical and James Maher scored from a charge-down, while Williams and Blair Feeney traded penalties and the visitors took a three-point lead into the break.

You would be hard-pressed to mount an argument that suggested they deserved the lead, but, at the same time, the Bay were hardly brimful of ideas themselves.

Part of the Bay's problem and, in fact, a problem in the New Zealand game in general, was a lot of ill-conceived and aimless kicking.

So it would have been with no great expectation that the crowd watched Williams drop the ball on to his boot early in the second half.

The ball arced across the field straight into the waiting arms of a charging Anthony Tahana who beat one man and put Hayden Reid in the corner as the cover got to him.

It seemed as if that single moment of synchronicity sparked what had been a pretty bumbling season up to that point for the Bay.

For the next 20 minutes the Bay overwhelmed and outplayed Counties everywhere except on the scoreboard.

Bay of Plenty 38 (N. Latu, H. Reid, C. Bourke M. Williams tries; Williams 4 pens 2 cons)
Counties Manukau 11 (J. Maher try; B. Feeney 2 pens).
HT: 8-11.