It rained on Saturday. It was torrential rain for many hours before the game started. The Fan assumes that the Bay gameplan was adjusted according to the manual of wet weather rugby. Kick for territory, make no mistakes, apply pressure to the opposition and wait for their mistakes.

Yet within minutes of kick-off, the Bay showed that this gameplan was in fact optional as Masaga dropped an easy kick then flicked a pass off the deck that was intercepted. This led to the only try of the game and an Auckland lead that we never looked like overhauling. There appeared to be no set plan at all for the Bay as at various times we tried kicking high or kicking low, then rumbling it up in the forwards or spinning it wide. Passages of good play were followed by basic errors and muddled thinking.

An unchanged XV for the Bay for tomorrow night's game in New Plymouth. 

Bay of Plenty Steamers v Taranaki 20 August 2010 @ Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth  - kick-off 7.35pm
1 Josh Hohneck 2 John Pareanga 3 James McGougan 4 Luke Andrews 5 Culum Retallick 6 Luke Braid 7 Tanerau Latimer 8 Colin Bourke (captain) 9 Taniela Moa, 10 Phil Burleigh 11 Lance MacDonald 12 Grant McQuoid 13 Brett Mather 14 Lelia Masaga 15 Toby Arnold.
Reserves: Simon Chisholm, Joe Savage, Aiden Kuka, Sam Cane, Chad Tuoro, Dan Waenga, Ben Smith.

This was supposed to be prime-time, the big show, a chance for the Steamers to strut their stuff.

Instead, Saturday afternoon's match with Auckland turned into a mini disaster.

Beaten up on the paddock, the Bay Union's coffers also took a big hit amid some of the worst playing conditions in recent memory.

A hardy 3500 spectators turned up to see the Steamers lose 11-6, with sackfuls of salt rubbed into frozen wounds when the torrential rain abated shortly after the final whistle.

This week, for something a little different, injured Steamers first-five Mike Delany interviews flanker Luke Braid.

Mike Delany: Today I'm talking with borderline ginga and kid dynamo Luke Braid. Luke, everyone's talking about the Battle of the Braid's tomorrow. How do you see it playing out when the Bay meets Auckland?
Luke Braid: I've lost two out of two to my brother Dan, one playing for the Bay and one playing for the Chiefs, so hopefully the boys get up and help me out. I really need to stop him getting three from three.