The road might be potted with crunching tackles and lung-busting efforts but Bay of Plenty's Sevens sides is well and truly up for the challenge of climbing the Everest that is a maiden Bayley's National Sevens title.

Today and tomorrow, for the second year running, the summer showpiece returns to Rotorua's International Stadium with the nation's best sevens talent fighting for provincial glory and the possibility of catching the eyes of New Zealand Sevens coaches Sir Gordon Tietjens and Sean Horan.

Bay of Plenty Sevens player Josh Honey fires off a pass during a training session at Blake Park. Photo by Tracy Hardy.

Never in the competition's 39-year history has the Bay lifted the silverware – the men going close in 2010 only to lose 21-14 with All Black Sevens star Tim Mikkleson snaring a length of the field intercept for the Mooloos in Queenstown.

'I'm not looking further than each game. Day one is going to be like our quarterfinal, because we have Canterbury first up, then our second game is Counties Manukau,” says Bay men's coach Peter Woods.

'Only two teams go through to day two so for me I'm planting the seed in our guys that our quarterfinals start Saturday; that's the way it goes.”

The Bay men have drawn a tough pool with Southern Region champions Canterbury, Northern Region victors Counties Manukau, and South Canterbury in Pool B, while the Bay women face defending champions Manawatu, and Wellington, Taranaki and Canterbury.

After a disappointing showing at last month's Northern Region Qualifiers, the men produced a promising fourth place finish at last week's Bay Engineers Provincial Sevens accounting for Canterbury, Manawatu and North Harbour along with losses to Wellington and eventual winners Auckland.

One concern for Woods is the fitness of speedster Mason Walker, currently nursing a sprained knee after last week's tournament in what would be a huge experience blow. If he's ruled out, Jason Harvey takes the 12th and final spot.

'Well that speed would be a big loss as we haven't got that many around,” says Peter.

'Plus he [Mason] knows the game a bit as he's been playing the game for the last two or three years now with the Bay team, so he has a pretty good understanding of the game.”

On the other side of the tournament, Bay women's coach Brad Fleming says focus is key if his side is to progress from the pool stage with New Zealand representative Alexis Tapsell ruled out due to a knee injury.

The women face defending champions Manawatu, and Wellington, Taranaki and Canterbury, but Fleming says there's no pushovers in either pool.

Last weekend the women got off to a flying start upsetting Northern Region champions Waikato 15-5 before falling to Auckland, Wellington then Taranaki in the plate semifinal.

'We've definitely got our work cut out, and we have to really focus on that first game and each day.

'But we have got a mix of the old and the new; and I think we can beat anyone on the day if we bring our game and play our best.”