Another busy sporting week has been put behind us with not so good news from the All Blacks and the Warriors.

The Mighty Blacks performed well below par and scrambled a win over Italy, while the Warriors were pathetic against the Gold Coast Titans.
However there was plenty of good news on the local sporting scene. It was great to see a match report on SunLive of the Mount Maunganui hockey victory over Pukekohe Indians at the Tauranga Hockey Centre.
In club rugby the action is just starting to hot up, as Western Bay teams fight to make the semi-finals on the first Saturday in August. While club rugby meandered along for much of the year, last Saturday produced a number of upsets that have set the championship rounds alive.
Eastern Bay side Opotiki produced one of the upsets of the season, when they defeated defending Baywide Premier champions Tauranga Sports 25-18. Reports received suggest the Western Bay titleholders simply failed to fire on the day and were out gunned by a team desperate for victory, playing in front of a parochial home crowd.
Mount Maunganui with most of their Steamers stars available to play provided the second surprise of the top echelon. The Mounties cut loose with Cory Aporo, Zar Lawrence, Colin Bourke and James Riddell touching down five pointers. A lot more will be heard of Aporo, Bourke and Lawrence when the Steamers hit the field.
While the Mount win could have been anticipated, it was the margin of the 34-12 victory over Rotoiti in Rotorua, which raised eyebrows. With Te Puke Sports grabbing a draw against Whakarewarewa and Rangataua sneaking past Whakatane Marist - Western Bay sides hold four of the top five berths.
However a hard slog during the four Saturdays in July, will finally determine the top four sides that will battle out the semi-finals. With the Baywide finals having been held in Rotorua for the last three seasons, it is vital for the Western Bay to host this year's final stanza, that the local sides continue to win over the next four weekends.
Another local team to provide a minor upset was Te Puna, which is chasing Baywide Division One silverware. In a high scoring encounter the local side provided Waikite with their first defeat of championship round. Holding just a two-point advantage at the break, Te Puna dug deep to run in four second half tries, to post a 46-29 victory.
On Saturday I braved the elements to join the passionate Te Puna supporters at Maramatanga Park. With a one-eyed optimism that would do Canterbury rugby supporters proud, the many Te Puna fans provided non-stop advice for the referee throughout the encounter.
Te Puna Rugby retains the old fashioned tradition of providing a hard fought contest throughout the game – but hugely welcoming hospitality after the battle.