Rugby: Promotion may not be for best

BAY OF PLENTY 16 NELSON BAYS 12

By CHRIS RATTUE

To the victors go the spoils.

And as a horde of Bay of Plenty fans stormed the Tauranga Domain in brilliant sunlight after their side's NPC second-division final victory over Nelson Bays, they would already have been thinking about spoils beyond the trophy with which their side was about to be presented.

Those jumping for joy, and chasing their heroes, were thinking as much about future possibilities as they were the immediate past.

First-division status is the the cherished prize for a union like Bay of Plenty. The union's chief executive, Jon Brady, made that clear in his programme notes.

"The theme of the union this year has been 'Movin on Up' ... the idea being based around the aim of being promoted to the first division and the desire of the union to be seen as an organisation that is pro-actively moving forward as a united body."

To promote or not to promote is a topic as simple or complicated as you want it to be. At one end of the argument is the notion that by winning the second division, you deserve a chance in the first.

At the other end is the knowledge that a promoted team are likely to get belted in their first year against top sides, many of who are honed on test match and Super 12 experience, leaving the newcomers struggling to become anything more than a stopover for itinerant players. Just look at Southland.

Northland are a shining example of the pros and pitfalls of automatic promotion. After murdering their second-division opposition in 1997, they had to look at their own blood on first-division tracks the following season.

They needed time, and an incredibly short time in their case, to prove their worth. But they might be the exception that proves the rule.

Two years on from promotion, Northland are the darlings of the first division. Despite other countries and major unions, including Super 12 cronies Auckland, chipping away at their best players in recent seasons, Northland refuse to die.

They have shown it is possible to make the transition, despite all the hurdles. You can even do it with a coach who has to work at another job, which goes against all the trends of professionalism.

And it is as vital to the spirit and welfare of the first division and thus New Zealand rugby that they remain so, even though the monopolist employer New Zealand Rugby Football Union gives tacit approval to this plundering of the provinces.

At Tauranga you could not hide from the difference between first and second-division rugby and the problems promoted sides face despite the euphoria around Bay of Plenty's victory, and the respect everyone must have for a small union like Nelson Bays competing so well at this level.

Bay of Plenty won the final because of an outside-back division with too much pace and skill for Nelson Bays.

But inside back Justin Wilson and flanker Craig de Goldi are already off to Auckland next year. And lightning-quick wing Sam Hala, a Tongan who came to the Bay via the Wellington development side, is rumoured to be in the sights of Auckland as well.

Centre Rico Gear and massive lock Jason Chandler are Auckland loan players who could be lost next season.

Bay of Plenty would not only have to find new players to give them any chance in the first division, but they already know they have to replace some of their existing star contributors.

Chief executive Brady admits this is the biggest problem they face, not meeting the NZRFU criteria for first-division status.

When Brady, with a sports management background, walked into the embattled union late last year, they had a $125,000 debt. He believes they have wiped that out, and is confident the union also will meet other NZRFU criteria involving player strength and stadium facilities.

The International Stadium in Rotorua is being rebuilt through the efforts of the Rotorua City Council and a charitable trust, and the Bay have the fifth-highest number of players in the country.

They will know within three weeks if their bid to join the first division is successful.

"We would like to have known yesterday if we were in. You have to target some players and you need to do it quickly. The uncertainty doesn't help," said Brady.

"That's the real test - the ability to put a team on the field that can foot it with the strongest teams in the country."

Nelson, who pipped Bay of Plenty in last year's final, are mulling over whether to apply again to join the first division. Their star performer on Saturday was blindside flanker Cory Holdaway and their forwards battled well, but the back division were basically a holding operation.

With only 2500 players, they know it is a struggle not only to satisfy the NZRFU demands, but to put a team into the first division who will not get carved up every week.

"We owe it to the players to have a good hard look at it," said chief executive Peter Barr. "The important issue is, is [the first division] sustainable? Is there any point if you are going to go up one year and down the next?"

Which is the essence of the problem.

One player in Saturday's final, played in front of a capacity crowd of 10,500, probably summed up the dilemma facing unions like Bay of Plenty and Nelson Bays.

The moment came when Gear cut Nelson Bays apart from deep, and after a superb interchange with wing Keith Pryor, scored the game's only try.

Gear's class against lesser opponents was there for everyone to see, yet he could not even make the Auckland squad this year.

And the Bay may even have trouble keeping him and the likes of Hala in their clutches next season.

The Bay of Plenty fans had every reason to rejoice, after Gordon Tietjens' side withstood Nelson Bays' continual plunges towards the goal-line in the final minutes.

It was celebration time, after the Bay had made the playoffs in seven of the last eight years, and had lost the last two finals.

"We finally won the big one. It was just magnificent," said coach Tietjens.

The fans, players and union have every reason to expect they can be a part of first-division rugby next year. Natural justice demands that.

But getting there is one thing. Making an impact is a completely different matter.