Anyone know what has happened to Foketi ?

Are Blake and Le'aupepe injured ?

Not unhappy to see Garland out as he hasn't done anything out of the ordinary thus far. Having said that neither has Fuatai so I would like to see him looking for more work.

I'm looking forward to see how Wardlaw goes at this level.

You'd have to rate The Bay a rough chance as long as they are are not overawed by the Canterbury aura. I read somewhere that the game could be won or lost at the breakdown and with Karpik and Lats performing we may win that battle.

An afternoon game at the Domain against one of the most successful teams in the comp with our team performing so well doesn't get any better !

@bopred Yes, as they stated..."it wasn't pretty" and there is a lot to work on.

"Counties–Manukau ran more metres, completed more passes and carried the ball more times than Bay of Plenty on Thursday night.

The opposition made more tackles and missed fewer. They won more lineouts and didn't lose as many as the Bay on their own throw-in.

The Steamers conceded more penalties, didn't win as many rucks and mauls and made fewer clean breaks."

But the fact that we won after such a performance speaks volumes of how they "hung in there". You can't deny its a good start to the season however.

@bopred I was at the game and there crowd was fairly sparse as it usually is in Rotovegas. Its usually hard to get people to go out on a cold winters night in Rotorua and having the test on the same night cannot have helped.

Te Rangi Fraser wasn't in last years team and wasn't selected in this years. Foketi is selected this year but hasn't fronted yet. Someone here will know the reason.

The Bay of Plenty Steamers will face their first defence of the Chiefs Country Cup on Thursday 23 August in Pukekohe when they run out against Counties Manukau.

Head Coach Clayton McMillan has named a virtually unchanged line up to face the Premiership side following their 30-10 win over Taranaki at Rotorua International Stadium last Saturday night.

Tyler Ardron will be the only change in the starting fifteen. The Canadian lock will be starting in the number six jersey as Hugh Blake’s replacement after he was ruled out with a shoulder injury.

Te Puna’s Angus MacDonald will return to the bench in the hope to run out for his second cap following his late call up last weekend for injured hooker Valentine Meachen. Baden Wardlaw returns from injury, but is bracketed with the experienced Tanerau Latimer. Latimer, if required will make his eightieth appearance for the Steamers. The final change on the bench will be the introduction of Te Puke Sports first five eight Jason Robertson, whom will be hoping to make his debut wearing the number twenty two jersey.

McMillan said his sides focus will remain unchanged in their approach for this Thursday’s match up.

"We're not going to stray too far from what worked for us last week. Our guys operate well when they're really clear as to what their roles are and what we want to achieve as a team.

"We've only had two trainings since the first match and if you try to throw too much in you can get yourself in a tangle, so we will try to avoid that,” finished McMillan.

Bay of Plenty Steamers v Counties Manukau:

1. James Lay (11)
2. Liam Polwart (15) (C)
3. Jeff Thwaites (22)
4. Kane Le’aupepe (1)
5. Aaron Carroll (1)
6. Tyler Ardron (7)
7. Mitch Karpik (7)
8. Hoani Matenga (1)
9. Richard Judd (11)
10. Mike Delany (73) (VC)
11. Mathew Garland (4)
12. Terrence Hepetema (20)
13. Liam Steel (5)
14. Fa’asiu Fuatai (1)
15. Chase Tiatia (27)

Reserves:
16. Angus MacDonald (1)
17. Solomona Sakalia (34)
18. Ross Geldenhuys (1)
19. Baden Wardlaw (1)/Tanerau Latimer (79) (VC)
20. Zane Kapeli (1)
21. Luke Campbell (17)
22. Jason Robertson*
23. Trael Joass (1)

• Denotes debut
  Denotes blazer game – 15 games
  () Denotes number of games

Oddly the BOP times says that Polwart is out injured.

Yep, I haven't seen a game like that for a long time.... made all the more impressive being against last seasons top qualifying team and without Ardron, Wardlaw, latimer and Foketi.

You guys have pretty much summed things up.

Lats has a calf injury but has been running water in the last two preseason games so isn't to bad. Yes, Simmonson officially hasn't played played a game for the Bay but has been in all the preseason games. Tiatia is the obvious choice at fullback but it seems Trask has been bought in to cover fullback as well as first five. Warlaw is injured also...hence the reason Carroll is in the reserves. It looks like Meachen has been bought in to cover for hooker. I have no idea where Foketi is as I'm sure he would be in the starting 15 if available. I'm guessing Garland and Fuatai will not have the attacking flare that Webber and Ioane had but I would love to be proven wrong. Thats a fairly inexperienced bench.

Taranaki have named a scarily impressive team so a BOP win would have to be termed an upset but there are so many unknowns in the first games of the season. There are so many things we should learn after Saturdays game though. I have already began chewing my fingernails and are mentally preparing myself to be disappointed (as I do for most BOP games)...as it lessens the crushing blow when we lose.

Bay of Plenty Steamers v Taranaki:

1. James Lay (10)
2. Liam Polwart (14)** (C)
3. Jeff Thwaites (21)
4. Kane Le’aupepe*
5. Tyler Ardron (7)
6. Hugh Blake (20)
7. Mitch Karpik (6)
8. Hoani Matenga*
9. Richard Judd (10)
10. Mike Delany (72) (VC)
11. Mathew Garland (3)
12. Terrence Hepetema (19)
13. Liam Steel (4)
14. Fa’asiu Fuatai*
15. Chase Tiatia (26)

Reserves:
16. Valentine Meachen*
17. Solomona Sakalia (33)
18. Ross Geldenhyus*
19. Aaron Carroll*
20. Ajay Mua (1)
21. Luke Campbell (16)
22. Kaleb Trask*
23. Trael Joass*

Yarrows Taranaki Bulls v Bay of Plenty, 7:35pm

1. Reuben O’Neill
2. Ricky Riccitelli
3. Angus Ta’avao (c)
4. Jarrad Hoeata
5. Jesse Parete
6. Mitchell Croswell
7. Lachlan Boshier
8. Toa Halafihi
9. Logan Crowley
10. Stephen Perofeta
11. Sean Wainui
12. Daniel Waite
13. Teihorangi Walden*
14. Seta Tamanivalu
15. Beaudein Waaka

Reserves:
16. Donald Maka
17. Jared Proffit
18. Chris Gawler
19. Leighton Price
20. Adrian Wyrill
21. Warwick Lahmert
22. Avon Lewis
23. Latu Vaeno

*Taranaki debut

Key Facts:

• These two provinces first played in 1925 – then 10 irregular games over the next 50 years – pre-NPC days
• Taranaki and Bay of Plenty have played 44 times. Taranaki has won 27 and lost 17 – no draws which is unusual for two comparable teams
• Taranaki are on a run of 10 consecutive wins and have won seven out of the
last 10 games in Rotorua
• Taranaki biggest win was 58-14 in 2004, biggest loss 51-12 in 1987 – both in New Plymouth
• Taranaki has scored 121 tries, 78 conversions, 97 penalty goals, seven dropped goals for 1021 points (1000th was brought up last year)
• BOP is the only major union that Taranaki has not met in a Ranfurly Shield game
• These encounters have been held in seven different towns Hawera, New Plymouth, Whakatane, Rotorua, Te Puke, Tauranga, Mt Maunganui.
• Beauden Barrett kicked a New Zealand provincial record of nine penalty goals for Taranaki against Bay of Plenty in 2011

@steven-harris You have to remember that these are preseason games and the coaches aren't giving to much away so I try not to read to much into them I remember one year BOP beat Hawkes Bay in a preseason by 35-0. BOP went on to have a pretty average year.

Yesterdays game didn't really show to much either with the constant changing of players on both sides (I think both teams changed 5 players at one time) and I know several players also from the Bay were swapping positions on the field.

I have been to all the BOP's preseason games and this was the most closely contested which is probably what both teams wanted and showed that one team is not streets ahead of the other. You could argue that Auckland should expect to beat us comfortably (given they are a premiership team) but this wasn't the case which is encouraging for us maybe and less so for you maybe.

In general however (in my view) you could possibly say that we had the better of you in the scrums and you possibly dominated us in the lineouts which admittedly were pretty scrappy at the best of times. Ioane was a beast and some of your outside backs looked classy.

Sorry for being vague but we will all know more after the first round of games when coaches show all their cards and play their top teams