Anyway, the games...

To be fair though, the bounce of the ball was almost remote controlled in favour of the Cantabs - time and time again (or so it bloody seemed), the Bay were set to score, or were set to butcher another scoring chance, and wham, ball bounces left instead of right, and 80 metres down the field, another try to the red and blacks.  In a scoreline of 20-37, when you 'gift' three tries to the enemy, you do make it pretty hard to win!!

The forward pack as per usual gained parity in the set pieces, not their usual dominance a the scrum, but probably a points win in this one against the Super 14 laden Canterbury pack.  They were rattled at times, and perhaps a points win is generous - they were beaten...  Lineout solid as all season, Retallick and Moore running the show.  The loose trio battled away manfully trying to stem the tide of 'lucky bounces', but they too were not their usual powerful selves, having to lend a hand in the tight a bit more than usual perhaps.  Hell, I even saw Latimer drop off a tackle at some stage, so something was majorly wrong there....!!

The backline also stuttered along, not quite being their normal selves.  There were some top individual performances, little Lance MacDonald having some sizzling runs, Lawrence having his moments also, but it was not the usual polished performance from the back division.  It was just a continuation of the damn bounce of the ball thing.  It got so bad that the Bay side could have rigged a raffle and still not drawn the winning ticket. 

So in the final wrap, Canterbury got home for a comfortable win, the Bay were not disgraced, but they could have done a damn sight better.

Points for the Skitzo player of the year.  Young Callum Retallick carried on his strong performances in the pack, and gets the three points.  Dancing Lance MacDonald pirouetted and darted and dived around for the two points, and tough prop Joe Savage claims the one with yet another strong performance in the tight.

OK, so the Canerbury loss was a game that was never going to be won, but the Southland game, that was a game that should have never have been so bloody close on the scorecard.

The Bay led 21-3 not long before the halftime break, and then 40 short minutes later, were leading 24-22, letting the Swede Eaters right back into the game. 

As opposed to the Canterbury game, the first half saw the Steamers have three try scoring chances, and take all three.  Other than that, they held out wave after wave of Southland attacks, and did little else with the ball.  They in fact struggled quite badly throughout, the Bay scrum was beaten and buckled on numerous occasions by the Southland eight, and the lineout self destructed.  The scrum did have its moments as the game wore on though, and did give some back to the Southland eight.  But again, they probably, at best, had parity...  The lineout though, it was a throwback to last seasons nightmare, where the lineout was a lottery with the Bay having forgotten to buy a ticket!  Not flash all round at the set piece in fact.

However, the finishing was pretty clinical, and there were some impressive passages of play, but a hell of a lot of candy floss, and not a lot of substance throughout the game.  A lucky win almost, but hell, we'll take it!

Some powerful individual matches again from individuals.  James McGougahan looked like a modern day Steve McDowell at times, galloping around in the loose like a rhino on speed.  His scrum work not at his usual standard though, perhaps the big beared one is reading too many press reports, and not pressing enough weights at the moment.  Always a danger when you have front rowers who can read...

Retallick, Savage, Pareanga, Moore, in fact all the forwards as individuals went pretty well, just their set piece play was not flash - like a pack that had just been introduced to each other on the morning of the match!

The loose trio were good, King back to full noise with some robust running, Latimer cheating in the best McCaw-esque fashion at breakdowns, and Bourke starting like a house on fire, but falling off the pace in the second spell - injured apparently, and perhaps should have been pulled earlier for young Braid, who came on in the final ten minutes and lifted the pack enough for the Bay to hold onto the win.

Come to think of it, the backs probably carried the forwards a but in this game, for the first time thing season.  Delany was at his best, kicking and running like a Super 14 player (can you see a starting spot in the Blues for this young fella, they could do much much worse), Hunt also looking Super quality, along with Aporo.  All deserving of higher level rugby. 

The back three had their moments, Hona probably having the best game I have seen from him this season, MacDonald again showing some magic foot movement and proving elusive.   Then you have Zar Lawrence.  The enigma.  The Alan Hewson of Bay rugby.  Put him under the high ball and watch him kack his pants, but five minutes later a searing break that makes you think of John Gallagher rather than Hewson.  Still, he's the best that the Bay have, so you have to make do with the heart in your mouth defence from the long time Hewson fan...

Finally, Jamie Nutbrown, who is he?  Welcome back Ruki Tipuna!  What a game from New Zealand's smallest first class player.  A superb solo try from a scrum, setting up another try for the Bay when the Southland lineout parted like the Red Sea, and numerous other breaks from the diminutive nine saw him earn at least this pundits man of the match award.  His passing is pretty crisp too, and he is picking his moments to run with aplomb.  Being so damn small sees him making breaks and heading through gaps that most people would not make it through, and his changing of direction throws tacklers off the scent pretty quick too - I would hate to play againt Tipuna in touch!

So the little bloke gets the nod for the Southland game three Skitzo points, followed by King with two and then Latimer picking up the one point.

The carry through points then Miss Ford...?

Latimer 11;  Bourke 9;  Retallick 8; Nutbrown 7; Delany 5;  McGoughan, King, Tipuna 3;  Pareanga, MacDonald 2; Savage 1.