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Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz |
It wasn't the dominant win by the Bay of Plenty Steamers against Auckland that really impressed Sideline Sid last Friday night – instead it was the crowd of nearly 7000 that turned up on a chilly Rotorua team to support their team.
In recent seasons any down turn in the Steamers performance on the field has seen many desert the cause.
The fair-weather fans that seemed to have deserted the ship when the Steamers put in back to back losing performances resulted in often miniscule crowds in the later part of the season.
Entering the Friday night clash with the team from the big smoke the Bay team were sitting in seventh (and last) place in the ITM Cup premiership division.
The early signs at the Rotorua International Stadium weren't good, with few people around half an hour before kick off. Then like moths drawn to light, the loyal Steamers fans started to arrive in numbers as the stadium lights were turned on.
An official tally 6889 through the turnstiles told the tale of the blue and gold fans renaissance.
While Baypark crowds have consistently outstripped the numbers at the Rotorua venue, the two Rotorua games this season, has resulted in nearly twelve thousand people making the pilmagrage to support 'Our Team”.
Going into the match, the Bay side took a record of just 11 wins from 57 encounters, since hostilities between the two unions started in 1912.
In an amazing turnaround from the humiliation of the Counties defeat just seven days before, the Steamers served it up to the Auckland side from the opening whistle.
One Bay player who knows how to pull a big performance out of the hat on the big occasion is Lance MacDonald.
Starting as the last line of defence when regular full back Kenny Lynn withdrew on the eve of the game, MacDonald grabbed a brace of tries. His first came when he stood up to a Auckland attack and picked up a opposition pass to race away to ground the ball, while his second finished off a solid Steamers attack on the line.
At 24-6 up at the half time break the Bay boys were in the hot seat. However as expected the visitors came back into the match, before two late tries to Phil Burleigh and Nick McCashin sealed an outstanding 37-16 victory.
To make the win even sweeter the Steamers won the John Drake memorial boot for the first time.
While wins over one of the real heavyweights of New Zealand provincial rugby may have been relatively few and far between – Steamers supporters will have little trouble recalling the previous victory over the traditional foes.
A 33-28 victory and the capture of the Ranfurly Shield in 2004, produced tales of glory that will be forever remembered in the history of Bay of Plenty rugby.
In the non stop ITM Cup competition, where games are played six nights a week to fit the NPC competition into the overfull season calendar, the Steamers now face two battles in five days. Next Friday they travel to Napier to take on the other (Hawkes) Bay before backing up against Wellington the following Tuesday.
Seeya at the Steamers Game at Baypark on Tuesday 25th September 2012
