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

In years gone by, the end of the NPC rugby competition would see Rugby Union headquarters go into hibernation, with club rugby the first priority of the new season around Easter.

The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union typifies the year round focus on the game within the country, with the Bay Union again in overdrive, with 7's and Maori rugby on the immediate horizon.

Over the decades Bay of Plenty has been seen as the spiritual home of Maori rugby and in more recent decades the 7's game. The Bay Union have again made both styles of the game a priority, with two big prizes on the agenda in the next few months.

Such is the desire of the Bay Union to rule Maori rugby in the country, that a Te Waiariki Senior Mens, Colts and Women's team, will chase success in the Northern Region Maori championships to be played in February 2013.

The Union are leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of the three Northern Region Maori titles and have appointed a Bay of Plenty Rugby legend to coach and mentor the Te Waiariki Senior Mens' side.

Wayne Ormond, who is the only Bay captain to lift aloft the Ranfurly Shield in triumph, will give his players an outstanding opportunity to sharpen their skills and hopefully gain exposure and showcase their talent for higher honours.

The two other coaches lack nothing in the success stakes, with Sam Pieta taking the Te Puna Colts to Baywide Colts glory last season, while Charlie Hurihanganui guided the Bay Secondary Schoolgirls to the Northern Region final earlier this year.

Training has commenced for all three teams, who will play their first matches in the first week of February while the rest of the country is still in holiday mode.

Bay of Plenty rugby has a special affinity with Rugby 7's. In April 1992 a Bay of Plenty team entered the Melrose Sevens in Scotland. The tournament was then considered the pinnacle world event of the shortened version of the game. Coached by New Zealand 7's maestro Gordon Tietjens, the Bay of Plenty representatives emerged triumphant defeating Kelso 17-12 in the final.

Sevens Rugby starts in earnest for the Bay of Plenty Men's and Women's teams this weekend, when they both play in a regional provincial tournament in Auckland, with berths in the National Finals tournaments up for grabs

Visitors and hometown 7's fans will get to witness a entrée to the National 7's championship, when the annual Bay of Plenty Provincial 7's take centre stage at Blake Park, on the fifth day of January 2013.

The tournament has become the de-facto North Island 7's championship, with all the major North Island contenders for National 7's glory, playing in the tournament that attracts a large crowd.

One local identity that always takes a keen interest in the form shown by individual players is National 7's coach Gordon Tietjens. Year after year Titch demonstrates his uncanny ability to pick players out of nowhere who then go on to star in the New Zealand 7's team on the world stage.

Go the Bay (Maori and 7's teams)