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Bay of Plenty overtook the hapless Canterbury to move to the bottom of the Miter 10 Cup Premier League table after an emphatic 44-8 win at the Tauranga Domain on Saturday.
The Steamers hadn’t beaten Canterbury since 2011, but they ended their winning drought against the Reds and Blacks with a dominant performance that was comfortably the best of 2020 and boosts their hopes of survival, as well as an outside shot in the top four.
For Canterbury, who had uncovered All Blacks team members Mitchell Dunshea and Cullen Grace, it was a different story because their fourth loss, after three one-point losses, was an embarrassment and leaves them fifth, out of the semi-finals. with three rounds to play.
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Joe Webber was on fire on takeoff from Bay of Plenty.
In fact, Canterbury is in danger of missing the final entirely as they end up against Premiership favorites Tasman and Auckland, after being tagged by Bay of Plenty, who physically hit the Cantabrians and ran them erratically with six attempts in one record. result few saw coming. Bay of Plenty’s 44 points are its highest point total against Canterbury.
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Bay of Plenty came out of the blocks with three attempts in the first 21 minutes after a brilliant start from players like Chase Tiatia and Joe Webber, but it was home forwards, inspired by Mitchell Karpik, who shook Canterbury’s inexperienced pack.
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Chase Tiatia, left, scored two of Bay of Plenty’s six attempts.
The game could have escaped Canterbury when Sam Darry was sinned in the first half and a controversial penalty try went against him, then lost by 19, and the Steamers were running with their dangerous outside backs crazed.
Canterbury held out there but failed to capitalize on a positive start to the second half, as Bay of Plenty conceded successive penalties, it was costly as the Steamers had more than three converted attempts ahead with 30 minutes to go when the impressive first fifth eighth of Kaleb Trask kicked. his second penalty goal to stretch his lead.
Then an ill-fated rebound led to the Bay of Plenty bonus point try, scored by Webber, but it was superbly taken by the hosts, who finished with a flourish of attempts for Trask and Scott Curry, capitalizing on some horrible, even comical, mistakes. of Canterbury. .
Canterbury swapped centers, Isaiah Punivai replaced his brother Ngatungane, after the latter was injured in warm-up and they were still on the bus in a sloppy first quarter.
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Mitch Karpik was a dominant figure for the Bay of Plenty.
Bay of Plenty second five-eighths Tiatia finished off a wonderful play for the first down in the ninth minute and her individual effort, charging at her opposite number, a distracted Rameka Poihipi, led the home team second.
Another break from winger seven, Webber, opened the Canterbury defense and the half quickly went from bad to worse for the Reds and Blacks as the hosts received a questionable penalty trial after Darry was penalized for offside.
Darry was trotting back to the defensive line when the Bay of Plenty had numbers on the right and the block was in the way of running back Luke Campbell’s pass going wide.
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Canterbury block Sam Darry was sent to sinbin in the first half.
Intentionally or not, Darry was committed correctly by referee Cam Stone, but whether he prevented a certain attempt was debatable. The Bay of Plenty attackers advanced, Canterbury struggled, but Stone’s decision, after consulting the TMO, seemed tough.
Still, Darry deemed it cynical and an attempt was probably attempted given the mood the Steamers were in during the first half, but the incident seemed to galvanize Canterbury, and they raised their intensity, keeping the Steamers red-hot as Darry was out. for 10 minutes.
However, Canterbury never seemed to score and Fergus Burke’s penalty goal in the first half was his only reward on the scoreboard until Grace’s consolation attempt in the final minutes. He did little to hide how poor Canterbury was.
Take a look
Bay of Plenty 44 (Chase Tiatia 2, penalty, Joe Webber, Kaleb Trask, Scott Curry tries; Trask 3 scam, 2 pens) Canterbury 8 (Cullen Grace test; Fergus Burke pen). HT: 22-3
MVP Points: Chase Tiatia 3, Joe Webber 2, Caleb Trask 1
