In a cliffhanger in Tauranga on Saturday afternoon, Bay of Plenty defeated the defending champions Nelson Bays 16-12, to become the Second Division champions.
There is no automatic promotion to the First Division these days, a number of conditions have to be met by aspiring Second Division champions, but Bay of Plenty,who were last in the top flight in 1991 ,now deserve their chance.
The final was played in glorious early Summer conditions and pre-match it was widely anticipated that the result would depend on how well the home side's backs played in relation to the visitors' forwards. We certainly saw glimpses of the Bay of Plenty backs, especially in the first half, but it was their forwards that eventually won them the game. The Nelson forwards, so dominant in their semi final victory over Hawke's Bay, could never achieve the sort of domination necessary to hand tactical control to big-kicking fly half Warren Johnston. As a result , they enjoyed very little territorial advantage and rarely threatened the Bay of Plenty line.
The Bay of Plenty scrum held up very well and even had their bigger opponents going backwards at times. At line-out, re-starts and in the loose big lock Jason Chandler was a commanding figure and skipper Clayton McMillan, at no8, became a big influence as the game progressed. Scrum half Poihipi emerged as the game's outstanding figure after half time, after coach Gordon Tietjens changed his side's tactics. After the initial flurry from his talented backs, Nelson shut them down in defence, so the decision was made to take the ball up through the middle of ruck and maul.Poihipi was central to the success of this strategy Outside him Wilson and Gear was a constant threat , but it was winger Sam Hala who caught the eye with his dangerous running.
Bay of Plenty made a marvellous start, scoring the game's only try after six minutes. A Nelson attack was stopped deep inside the Bay of Plenty 22 and the ball turned over. Instead of kicking for the security of touch, fly half Gibbs moved the ball along the line to sensational effect. The ball reached Rico Gear on the right wing and he made good ground up the right befor stepping inside , trading passes with Keith Pryor before scoring beneath the posts.
For the next 30 minutes Bay of Plenty looked threatening in attack without being able to score the tries they looked to be capable of.Gibbs added a penalty but by half time Nelson had got themselves back into the game with two Johnston penalties.Bay of Plenty led 10-6 at the break.
Within six minutes of the restart , Nelson had taken the lead for the one and only time in the match, penalties from Johnston and Milne giving them a two point advantage.The momentum seemed to have swung their way but the home side responded in decisive fashion. They regained the lead with a penalty after 53 minutes, extended it with another in the 67th minute and then then hung on in a nail biting, pulsating finish.Right at the very end Nelson exerted real pressure to threaten the Bay of Plenty line and create anxiety in the home defence but it held out before delirious supporters flooded the field at the final whistle.
A well-deserved victory for Bay of Plenty who showed that they had more in their armoury than just the pace and menace of their outside backs. Nelson Bays , by comparison, were too one-dimensional and lacked a flexible game plan.
Scorers :
Bay of Plenty : 16
Try : Gear Conversion : Gibbs Penalties : Gibbs, Jennings (2)
Nelson Bays : 12
Penalties : Johnston (3), Milne.