Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the envy of many. Les McLean was the first of the 20 players who have so far been selected for the All Blacks from Bay of Plenty. He played as a forward in the second and third tests against the 1921 Springboks – and at full-back against New South Wales in 1923. Bay of Plenty’s most capped All Black is Hika Reid. Hailing from Ngongotaha near Rotorua, Reid’s grandfather, J. Hikatarewa, played for New Zealand Maori in 1913. Reid was selected for the All Blacks in 1980 when test incumbent Andy Dalton was unavailable for what turned out to
Bay of Plenty Steamers Bay of Plenty would only win two matches against North Harbour and Otago in 2014 and finish last in the Championship. As being a larger region than most, the Steamers are one of the few teams to have two home stadiums, the Baypark Stadium in Tauranga and Rotorua International Stadium in Rotorua. Built in 2000, opened in 2001 and formerly known as Bluechip stadium, Baypark stadium is a muiti-purpose stadium that the Steamers along with Rotorua International Stadium. It has a capacity of 19,800, which was almost attained when Bay of Plenty had the Ranfurly Shield run of 2004. With