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

Sideline Sid is over the moon with news of the Steamers securing a Ranfurly Shield challenge against Hawke's Bay this weekend.

While the NPC plays second fiddle to Super Rugby, it certainly enlivens the competition when the 'Log of Wood” is on the line.

The last couple of seasons have seen the longtime New Zealand Rugby challenge trophy move around the smaller provinces.

Nothing kills interest in the Ranfurly Shield more than the heavyweights of provincial rugby in Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury holding on to the Shield for a lengthy time.

We can all remember the euphoria when Bay of Plenty won the Ranfurly Shield 10 short years ago.

Street parades and endless celebrations characterize the tenure of the ‘Log of Wood' in provincial New Zealand.

While ‘Our' Steamers are having a far from sterling start to this year's NPC with just a solitary win, the Shield Challenge against long-time rivals Hawke's Bay, should again unite the Steamers fans on the journey to Napier.

While the visiting Steamers fans will get long odds from their Hawke's Bay counterparts in returning the Shield to the Bay of Plenty – it wouldn't be the first time that the Bay have caused a massive upset.

In 1982 when Bay of Plenty languished at the bottom of the NPC division one, they were given no chance of beating the visiting Australians, at the Rotorua International Stadium.

Sideline Sid was at the Rotorua Stadium, when Bay legend Ron Preston put the home side in front with a penalty goal after two minutes of the opening whistle.

Two Bay of Plenty touchdowns to Mark Basham and John Cameron saw the home team lead 16 nil at half time.

From there the Bay representatives played like men possessed to take out the match by a margin of 40-16, in front of an ecstatic home crowd.

While the Bay of Plenty will unite for the Ranfurly Shield challenge on the weekend, there are yawning gaps appearing in Bay club rugby.

A few years ago a complete revamp of Baywide rugby was put in place after consultation and agreement from the three regions in the Bay.

The new competitions were based on automatic promotion and relegation at the end of each season.

Wind the clock forward to the end of the 2014 club rugby season and we are in a situation where Rotorua and Eastern Bay of Plenty, are dissatisfied with the current set-up, as they say the premier competition is dominated by Western Bay of Plenty teams.

Eastern Bay of Plenty and Central (Rotorua) Sub-Unions want a split of four teams apiece from each region in the top echelon competition and say that they will start their own regional competition if they don't get their way.

With seven Western Bay of Plenty teams in the premier division there will be some mighty upset Western Bay clubs if the two other Sub-Unions win out.

It needs the wise old heads of Bay of Plenty Rugby to sit down and hammer out effective senior competitions including Colts rugby that covers the wants and needs of all clubs in the Bay of Plenty.