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

Just three rounds into the Baywide Rugby competitions and the genuine contenders are already putting their hands up.

While we are still in the balmy days of autumn and the finish line in August needs binoculars to see – recent season results suggest that the teams that make the early running are there at the business end of the season.

In the Premier ranks, no team has made a better start than Tauranga Sports, which have banked a bonus point for four tries (or better) in their first three games.

The Tauranga Domain based first fifteen are gunning for a remarkable sixth Baywide crown in a decade.

While Greerton Marist gave them a good test in the season opener, they have posted nearly 120 points in their first three encounters.

Last weekend they unveiled their strike force in the second half of the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Facing Opotiki who usually make the Princess Street Reserve a fortress, the Western Bay side held a narrow 20-15 advantage at the half time break.

They unleashed their strike weapons in the second spell, posting 36 unanswered points to return home, with a 56-15 victory on their ledger card. It was a return to business as usual for the Tauranga side, with the forwards establishing dominance before the Tauranga Sports back line cut loose.

By contrast, defending Baywide Premier champions Te Puke Sports have ground out three wins on the trot.

The key to the back to back Baywide title holders game is the ability to absorb pressure then tighten the screws to grab victory on the line.

Seasoned Bay of Plenty rugby followers at the Te Puke Sports match-up last weekend against Rangataua, struggled to remember the last time they had seen a nil-all score line at half time. In a game of true attrition, Te Puke eked out a 10-7 win courtesy of two tries to one.

Sitting in third and fourth place in the premier early running are the two Rotorua sides of Whakarewarewa and Rotoiti. A 30-6 win to Whaka over Rotoiti to open the season, should stack up, with Whakarewarewa likely to be right in the race for the semi-finals at season end.

There is a real logjam in the remaining field with Western Bay contenders Mount Maunganui, Te Puna and Greerton Marist all having posted a win apiece - while Rangataua, which has yet to break their maiden status for the season, put on a brave performance in their close encounter with Te Puke Sports last weekend.

In Division One, Rangiuru have unfinished business after failing to win a premier berth when defeated by Paroa at the Baywide finals day last August. The Te Puke based team have one of the best brains trusts in Bay of Plenty Rugby, with former NZ Sevens player Peter Wood coaching the side while Bay legend Mark Basham handles the managerial duties

Katikati has made a promising return to the Division One championship, after beating fellow Western Bay contender Arataki for the promotion berth on Grand Finals Day. One solid win from their first three hit-outs, suggest that they should achieve their season objective, of remaining in the second echelon ranks next season.

For Western Bay rugby fans, there is a mouth watering premier game on the line this Saturday.

The Western Bay Battle of the Bridge at the Tauranga Domain between Tauranga Sports and Mount Maunganui always attracts one of the biggest crowds of the season. The expected fine weather (and two curtain-raisers) will ensure that only the early birds will have a short walk to the park.

Seeya at the Game