Bay of Plenty 2021

[Stargazer]

@bay-boy-tim He had a knee injury requiring arthroscopic surgery in late April/early May. They said at the time that the expected recovery time was two to three months; so - all going well - he should be back in August.

[Bay boy Tim]

@stargazer cheers

[Yeetyaah]

https://www.boprugby.co.nz/newsarticle/106140?newsfeedId=1219562

2021 Bay of Plenty Steamers Squad
Forwards
Naitoa Ah Kuoi - Greerton Marist (0)
Sam Cane - Reporoa (21)
Whetukamokamo Douglas - Ngongotaha (0)
Kurt Eklund - Mount Maunganui (21)
Penitoa Finau - Greerton Marist (0)
Nathan Harris - Te Puke Sports (35)
Kohan Herbert - Mount Maunganui (0)
Haereiti Hetet - Mount Maunganui (3)
Mitch Karpik - Rangataua (35)
Benet Kumeroa - Rangiuru (0
Tevita Mafileo - Tauranga Sports (20)
Aidan Ross - Te Puke Sports (37)
Angus Scott-Young - Eastern Districts (0)
Manaaki Selby-Rickit - Mount Maunganui (0)
Jeff Thwaites - Te Puna (53)
Pasilio Tosi - Greerton Marist (0)
Tu'ukalikali Vaipulu - Rangiuru (0)
Stan van den Hoven - Greerton Marist (10)
Nathan Vella - Rangataua (18)

Backs
Otere Black - Ruatoki (10)
Luke Campbell - Te Puke Sports (36)
Leroy Carter - Tauranga Sports (15)
Inga Finau - Arataki (0)
Lalomilo Lalomilo - Greerton Marist (3)
Cassius Misa - Whakarewarewa (0)
Emoni Narawa - Tauranga Sports (21)
Mathew Skipwith-Garland - Whakarewarewa (28)
Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi - Whakarewarewa (9)
Chase Tiatia - Rangataua (57)
Kaleb Trask - Tauranga Sports (22)
Sean Wainui - Whakarewarewa (0)
Joe Webber - Rangiuru (25)

Wider Training Group
Josh Bartlett – Tauranga Sports
Nikora Broughton – Rangiuru
Lucas Cashmore – Tauranga Sports
Pryor Collier – Mount Maunganu (7)
Losi Filipo – Greerton Marist
Veveni Lasaqa – Greerton Marist
Kane O’Connor – Rangataua
Semesi Paea – Ngongotaha
Justin Sangster – Te Puna
Sekuini Tanimo – Greerton Marist

() = denotes number of Steamers caps

• = denotes new cap

[bobily2]

That's a very good group of "development" players

[Cpt Kumera]

@stargazer mitch be back in a few weeks

[Yeetyaah]

@bobily2 it's a bloody good squad all up tbh

[Stargazer]

@yeetyaah said in Bay of Plenty 2021:

Naitoa Ah Kuoi

@Canes4life probably didn't see this coming.

[Canes4life]

@stargazer haha fair play to him, makes sense being a Chiefs lad. Strong BOP squad.

[Snollygoster]

Boy ! On paper thats one of the strongest squads THE BAY has listed. I counted 19 with Super rugby experience .

I'm looking forward to Friday !!

[mikey07]

@canes4life Another one Holland let go…

[Bay boy Tim]

Great squad that

[Canes4life]

BOPs strongest XV wouldn't look out of place at Super level.

1. ROSS
2. EKLUND
3. MAFILEO
4. AH KOUI
5. SELBY-RICKIT
6. SCOTT-YOUNG
7. CANE
8. DOUGLAS
9. CAMPBELL
10. BLACK
11. WAINUI
12. TIATIA
13. FINAU
14. NARAWA
15. TRASK

[bayimports]

[bayimports]

Close to full strength forward pack. Sekuini Tanimo looked exciting against the Force and I am told Onisi Ratave has some real wheels. Just hope he has some skills as well.

[Snollygoster]

Thats a really odd selection. Usually they play their top team in their last pre season game before the competition starts so as to "bed in" combinations etc etc etc. That isn't even close to their top team. No Harris, Mafileo, Ah Kuoi, Lalomilo, Narawa or Tiatia . Strangely Ratave isn't even officially listed in the team. I only hope there isn't injuries and they are instead just keeping their "powder dry".

[bayimports]

@snollygoster said in Bay of Plenty 2021:

Thats a really odd selection. Usually they play their top team in their last pre season game before the competition starts so as to "bed in" combinations etc etc etc. That isn't even close to their top team. No Harris, Mafileo, Ah Kuoi, Lalomilo, Narawa or Tiatia . Strangely Ratave isn't even officially listed in the team. I only hope there isn't injuries and they are instead just keeping their "powder dry".

i think Tiatia is injured, Nathan unfortunately is an injury magnet so no surprise if he was, don't know about the others

[Kiap]

@yeetyaah said in Bay of Plenty 2021:

@bobily2 it's a bloody good squad all up tbh

Should keep them heading to the pointy end of the comp.

Not sure if Stan will pick up the rights in Oz (suspect not) but if they do I'll check out some of their games.

Do like a lot of what they're doing and reckon I'll adopt BoP as my NPC team.

Mako have been riding high over recent years but Bay of Plenty can be up there surfing some of the next set of waves!

[bayimports]

Score was 38-33 to Bay of Plenty over Harbour, BOPRU just loading pictures to post on social media shortly.

At least that info is improving this year, although I know it is unlikely we will get details

[Snollygoster]

I actually went to this game. I'm not sure what you can read into the result for various reasons. Firstly BOP were without Ah Kuoi, Douglas, Harris, Lalomilo, Narawa, Garland and Tiatia so were definitely not at full strength. Secondly Harbour had 15 reserves . Pretty much all of the first half team were replaced at half time. BOP, by contrast, only had 2 or 3 back reserves which saw half backs playing on the wings and weirdly a lock briefly playing on the wing also for a time. So it wasn't a "normal" game.

BOP lead for the whole game and Harbour scored the final three tries which made the result look a lot closer than it really was. From memory three or four tries were scored by rolling mauls....its becoming increasingly important for teams to learn to execute or combat these as they are a weapon. The Bays set piece was better than Perth which is pleasing but it wasn't dominant .

No one particularly stood out although I'm liking Selby-Ricket....hard working and aggressive. The Bay seems to have pretty handy top group of players but depth could be an issue with injuries.

The Harbour game will give us a better gauge at where we stand.

[Snollygoster]

@snollygoster I just re read my post. I meant to say ...The Ta$man game will give us a better gauge !