Bay of Plenty Steamers 1911 that the Bay of Plenty union was fully affiliated to the national body. Up until this time the BOP union was included within the South Auckland union boundaries. The union achieved its first national representation when A.L. McLean was selected for the All Blacks in 1921. McLean was the first of 16 men who have represented New Zealand while wearing the blue and gold hoops, Sam Cane is the latest to represent the Steamers at international level, making his debut against Ireland in 2012. As a heartland of Maori rugby the region has produced a large number of Maori
Bay of Plenty Rugby Union has 38 local clubs under affiliated with them and three sub-unions to be part of. The Baywide competition runs for 20–21 weeks and split to four stages: The 38 clubs are split into three sub-unions, the Central, Eastern and Western Sub-Unions. There are ten clubs in the Central Bay of Plenty sub-union. There are 14 clubs in the Eastern Bay of Plenty sub-union. There are 13 clubs in the Western Bay of Plenty sub-union. Stage One runs for 6–7 weeks, clubs are put into their respective sub-unions and complete a local competition. 24 teams are put into 2 sections with