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

While June and July brings wet weather club rugby where rainwear and umbrellas are often the order of the day, it's also preparation time for the Bay of Plenty Steamers as they ready to set out on another National Provincial Championship campaign.

Hitting rock bottom in last season's NPC, albeit with several close losses, has seen a rethink and a change at the top at Steamers headquarters at Baypark.

Sideline Sid is delighted to see a true-blue (and yellow) Bay of Plenty legend in Clayton McMillan appointed to coach the Steamers this season. Rumor has it that Clayton has blue and yellow blood in his veins, instead of the more traditional red.

Clayton is one of just 17 players who have played a century of games (or more) in the Bay of Plenty uniform, over the last one hundred and four years.

The Bay of Plenty forward led from the front in dynamic fashion and was in charge, when the Bay won back promotion to the NPC First Division, from the wilderness of the second echelon in 2000.

Bay of Plenty has a proud history that includes winning the first ever NPC in 1976, and who could forget annexing the Ranfurly Shield in 2004 when the boys in Blue and Gold beat the Auckland 33-28 at Eden Park.

They also have a long history of rising to the occasion in major matches against touring international sides such as the Lions, Springboks and those fellas from across the ditch.

Although always gallant in defeat, they have also recorded a couple of big upsets.

In 1982, Bay of Plenty thrashed Australia 40-16 in Rotorua a week after the Wallabies had beaten the All Blacks. In 1990 the Bay again got past Australia winning 12-4.

The 1982 Bay of Plenty side contained plenty of players in the mould of Clayton McMillan - with Bay Rugby legends in Hika Reid, Ron Preston and Mark Basham, still involved in coaching and managing Baywide club sides in the 2015 competitions.

McMillan and assistant coach Rodney Gibbs have taken a traditional path of selecting the 2015 Steamers.

A trial game with players from the current Baywide divisions given a chance to shine opened the representative season.

Last week's match in Katikati saw a Bay of Plenty XV, playing under the auspices of the Wasps, meet the Counties Manukau Cavaliers. In the spirit of NPC trial matches, the two big benches were unleashed in the second half to give as many players as possible a chance to showcase their skills.

Hostilities will go up several notches in around a month's time when the Steamers play two pre-season matches in the Bay.

Auckland will visit Rugby Park in Whakatane on August 31 while, just a week later, the Manawatu Turbos will square off with the Steamers hopefuls at the Tauranga Domain.

Five home games for the Blue and Gold brigade give Steamers fans plenty of opportunity to get out and support 'Our” team.

This grey haired rugby correspondent is really looking forward to the Steamers return to the Tauranga Domain on two counts.

Firstly, the match against Waikato continues the arch-rivalry between the two provinces that dates back many decades, while it's also a return to weekend afternoon rugby with the game to kick off on Sunday, August 30, at 2.35pm.

Seeya at the Steamers home games.