Last Saturday the BOP Mafia announced their annual awards at a very informal gathering of Mafia types at Fahys Motor Inn. As we are scattered far and wide, quite a few Mafia were travelling some way for the event so thank you to everyone who turned up and a special thanks to everyone who assisted in the organisation.

DonHoriBOP was the MC for the evening, and we are grateful to Colin Bourke and Charles Baxter for representing the players for the night.

Dear Mr. Henry,

I would like to nominate myself to be an All Black on the upcoming end of year tour. Now I know that you have already selected all your players, but perhaps you could make an exception and include me in the team as well.

Well if someone had told me at the start of the season that the Bay would win the Ranfurly Shield and be in the semi finals I probably would have laughed uproariously and thought what a flattering and fine sense of humour/optimistic delusion the person had. 

Lets be honest though, what this team has done this year has exceeded everybody’s expectations (except perhaps their own) and written what has to be said one of the finest chapters in BOP’s rugby history, at least equal with that of 1976.

Comparison’s aside this team has written for itself a number of unique entries into the record books, historic achievements such as long overdue NPC wins over Waikato, Wellington and Otago, making the NPC semi-finals for the first time and most importantly – winning that dammed shield!!

To top it off all we’d need is one or two AB’s to be selected and a hatful of Super 12 players (possibly an historic the Chiefs getting over it’s Waikato bias to be recorded this season as well).