Sideline Sid - Sports blogger Sideline Sid is a local sport fanatic. Not only is he a classic rugby bloke but he has views, opinions and knowledge on all sports played in the Bay of Plenty.

Last week Sideline Sid went on tour, following two Bay of Plenty rugby teams who were in action at rural Bay of Plenty rugby grounds.

Living in Tauranga, one gets caught up in the hustle and bustle of a large city. Last week was a chance to visit a couple of smaller Bay of Plenty rugby communities and enjoy a more laid back approach to life.

First up was a short journey up the highway to Katikati to follow the second Bay of Plenty Wasps game of the season. What was essentially a Bay of Plenty Development team stepped up a couple of weight divisions to play the Counties Manukau ITM Cup squad.

One of the real success stories in Bay rugby in recent seasons has been the revival of the BOP Sub-Union series. From the three Sub-Union matches - two Wasps sides were selected that gave the genuine club player a chance to pull on a Bay of Plenty jersey.

While the first Wasps encounter with the (Waikato) Harlequins was successful, the Bay selection was up against it last week, facing the Counties first division unit.

Katikati rose to the occasion with in excess of a thousand rugby fans packing into Moore Park. The Katikati volunteers were out in force to provide a wonderful country town experience, for a good number of Western Bay city dwellers that made the short trip north.

There are no pretensions about country folk, with many of the locals coming to the game from the hard graft of manual labour. Shorts and working boots were the order of the day - with drinking straight out of quart bottles of Waikato and Lion Red the preferred beverage of the afternoon.

While the Bay side never gave up the fight, they were outgunned by the pace of the visitors who took out the encounter 55-19. One player who a lot more will be seen of in the coming months, was New Zealand Sevens flyer Sherwin Stowers. Three touchdowns without a Bay hand being placed upon him testified to a player with pace to burn.

On Friday, it was off to Reporoa to cheer and yell for the Mighty Bay of Plenty Steamers, who played Manawatu in an ITM Cup preparatory match. While the temperature felt like it was little above zero - the Reporoa welcome was just as warm as at the other end of the Bay two days previously.

The volunteers were also out in force at Reporoa manning the gates, selling food and drink, and providing the manpower to set up (and dismantle) the field of play. Temporary grandstands were provided at both grounds, by way driving a number of large trucks near the sideline, to give uninterrupted views of the action.

While it is early day in the Steamers season, they gave a polished display out-running and out-muscling one of their opponents in this year's ITM Cup, posting a 35-10 win.

The most pleasing feature of the victory was that a number of the team's stars were rested giving several fringe players a chance to showcase their skills. Even without skipper Colin Bourke and Tanerau Latimer - the Steamers took control right from the kick-off, and provided plenty of enjoyment and entertainment for the good number Steamers fans who had journeyed to Reporoa.