Tietjens - We're ready for top flight

Bay of Plenty coach Gordon Tietjens is confident his team is ready to return to the top flight of the NPC after a decade in the wilderness.

"We've been waiting around for 10 years for a chance like this and it has finally arrived," he said, of the opening-round clash with defending champions Wellington at the Wellington Cake Tin tomorrow.

"Guys like Thompson Tapsell, Clayton McMillan, Paul Tupai and Steve Simpkins, who have served Bay of Plenty so well over the years, never thought they'd get a shot at division one.

"This is their chance, not only to play at the highest level but to create a pathway to higher honours [Super 12].

"It is probably more important that we stay in division one this year for that reason, so guys are exposed to the best level and get used to it."

Tietjens was coaching the Bay of Plenty colts when the Steamers were relegated in 1991, losing a promotion-relegation match to King Country 22-13 in Rotorua.

A master of the sevens game, Tietjens has toiled away in division two for seven years, losing consecutive finals before beating Nelson Bays to seal promotion.

"I suppose it's a shot for me too, because I've always said I wanted to coach first division."

Bay of Plenty are targeting three or four wins but will also rely on stockpiling bonus points to avoid being one-season wonders.

"If there's a disappointment it is that for years there has been no relegation, yet the season we go up they not only bring in automatic relegation, but also a sudden-death playoff for the 10th-placed team.

"Ideally we would have liked a year to consolidate without the threat of relegation hanging over us."

Tietjens is relying on team spirit, high after last week's 41-21 win over Counties-Manukau and a three-day training camp, to carry the side.

"Spirit is going to be big for us this season.

"We've been widely written off so we're going into the competition with nothing to lose.

"We've already talked about the possibility of losing six or seven games on the trot, not dwelling on it but taking the positives and moving on. When a team loses players look for excuses but we're in this together."

The side's preparations have been affected by injury with Australian sevens speedster Scott Barton still dazed after a big hit last weekend.

Todd Blythe has been promoted from the development side onto the right wing, with Donovan Nepia moving into the reserves.

"We needed a specialist wing to counter Wellington's pace out wide and we also want to use a good kicking game, so we need chasers to get up and put pressure on."

- NZPA