The Steamers were hammered 46-12 at McLean Park last night by a home side which went from strength to strength during the Air New Zealand Cup round 10 match.

The only bright spot of the night for Bay of Plenty was down in Invercargill where Canterbury beat Southland to leave the Steamers in fourth place, guaranteeing them a home quarter-final next week.

Steamers head coach Kevin Schuler said it was a fortuitous result after his side were cleaned out big time by the third-placed Magpies.

``That start of the game, the physicality they showed at the breakdown and turnover early on, we wanted to build phase pressure and they just smashed us off the ball. That set the tone for the game.

``We tried to come out in the second half and do it again but Hawke's Bay were just too strong.'

Schuler is well aware the seven tries to zip flogging will take something special to come back from but he's hopeful the squad will rise up during the next week.

It's likely Bay of Plenty will play the Sunday quarter-final, giving them a bit of extra time to lick their wounds and put last night's effort well behind them.

In fairness, Hawke's Bay played well but it was the Steamers' worst across the field performance of the 2008 season. Individuals just weren't on their games and as a result, Hawke's Bay were all over them like a stinging, annoying rash.

The Steamers forwards were a shadow of the pack which had competed through the early rounds of the season and the backs simply couldn't deliver any punch or gain to the effort.

If any fringe players were in line for Super 14 contracts prior to kick-off, it's a sure bet their stocks dipped after this performance and on the back of Waikato beating Taranaki on Thursday night to gain a quarter-final spot.

Who Bay of Plenty will host at Baypark in Tauranga won't be confirmed until tomorrow but chances are anyone would fancy a crack after last night's effort.

Hawke's Bay made the perfect start with a penalty and converted try on the board inside the opening 10 minutes.

The magic boot of Mike Delany kept the Steamers in touch.

The competition's top points scorer knocked over three straight penalties inside the first half hour as the home side struggled to find favour with referee Steve Walsh.

Delany added a fourth just before the half-time whistle but that was the visitors' final shot.

The Hawke's Bay crowd of 6853 didn't think much of the officiating with most of Walsh's whistle blows met with a boo.

John Moore led the Bay of Plenty side onto the field, the honour fitting as he chalked up his 50th game in his beloved blue and gold jersey. He joined his father Robert ``Robbie' Moore as the first father and son members of the union's 50 plus club.

Apart from the milestone, it will not be a night that Moore junior and his teammates will want to remember.

But here is a silver lining _ hosting a quarter-final. It's a result which has been built on early-season form.

Bay of Plenty have been doing well with their gate takings and the financial benefits of a home quarter-final will go some way to helping the 2008 season successful.

Home advantage is worth money. It comes at a small cost, the hosting union having to pick up the expenses of the visiting team to a maximum of $10,000 and sharing the profit after $100,000 gross is exceeded on the gate.

The advantage of playing at home can't be stressed enough with Bay having won all of their matches at Baypark this season.