Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

Bay of Plenty Baywide club rugby is in full swing with the genuine title contenders laying down their credentials for all to see.

Te Puke Sports, who languished in sixth place in the Baywide premier ranks at the end of the last year's regular season, have hit the top of the standings after four stanzas of the 2023 season.

The three time Baywide titleholders, have posted 178 points and conceded just 44 points, in their unbeaten start to the season.

Snapping at the Te Puke Pirates heels, are long-time Rotorua heavyweight Whakarewarewa, who also boast a four from four win record, in the season beginning.

Unlike earlier Baywide formats where teams played two full round-robin rounds of play - early runs on the board are vital, as teams have just one shot apiece at their rivals in an eleven round qualifying competition, with just the top four advancing to the playoffs.

Lurking just behind the early pacemakers, are last year's champions Mount Maunganui, nine time Baywide title holders Tauranga Sports and 2019 champions Te Puna.

Rangiuru and Greerton Marist aren't out of the mix to book a semi-final place, while the other Western Bay teams in Rangataua, Judea and Katikati will be desperate to avoid the wooden spoon, with automatic relegation attached.

Bay of Plenty Women's rugby has undergone a real renaissance in the last twelve months. There are eleven Women's teams contesting the Baywide 2023 title race, with the regional women's game, seemingly building on the back of Black Ferns World Cup triumph last year.

The Bay of Plenty Rugby focus, on the planned development of women's rugby, has resulted in a solid geographical spread of teams throughout the region.

Western Bay of Plenty is represented by last year's champions Rangataua, Mount Maunganui and season newcomers Greerton Marist.

Last season's runner-up Waikite, Rotoiti and Eastern Pirates wear the flag of Rotorua pride. Eastern Bay of Plenty has strong representation in Poroporo, Opotiki, Ruatoki and Galatea - with King Country side Tongariro United, playing by invitation in the Bay of Plenty Women's title race.

After seven rounds of the ten-round qualifying competition, Mount Maunganui and Rangataua haven't tasted defeat. Poroporo and Ruatoki presently round out the top four, while Tongariro United and Waikite are still in playoff contention.

It is especially pleasing to see a genuine Baywide Colts format this year, with six entrants.

While many talented senior secondary school players move seamlessly into senior competition, Colts competition provides another pathway leading to senior rugby, with games against similar aged counterparts.

Mount Maunganui, Te Puke Sports, Greerton Marist and Te Puna, will be joined by Rotorua's Kahukura and Taupo United. The six contenders kick off on Saturday 20 May 2023, in a five round qualifying shootout leading to the playoffs.

A population advantage aside, Western Bay teams thrive on the great rivalries founded between the local sides, with some dating back a century or more.

After three seasons of Covid interruptions, Western Bay sides are now primed and ready to deliver the big prizes, in the BOPRU Baywide Men's, Women's and Colts title contests.