Jump to content

Bay of Plenty (National Provincial Championship)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bay of Plenty
Official BOPRU emblem
UnionBay of Plenty Rugby Union
NicknameSteamers
Founded1911; 115 years ago (1911)
LocationMount Maunganui, Tauranga, New Zealand
Ground(s)Rotorua International Stadium (Capacity: 34,000)
Tauranga Domain (Capacity: 5,500)
CEOMike Rogers[1]
CoachRichard Watt
CaptainTBA
Most appearancesRon Preston (152)
Top scorerRon Preston (846)
Most triesKeith Pryor (46)
LeagueNational Provincial Championship
20253rd
Semi-finalist
Team kit
Official website
www.boprugby.co.nz

Bay of Plenty (often known as the Bay of Plenty Steamers) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. The union was originally established in 1911, with the National Provincial Championship established in 1976. They now play in the reformed National Provincial Championship competition. They play their home games at Rotorua International Stadium in Rotorua or Tauranga Domain, Tauranga, both in the Bay of Plenty Region. The team is affiliated with the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise. Their home playing colours are blue and yellow.

Current squad

[edit]

The Bay of Plenty Steamers squad for the 2026 Hilux NPC season is:

2026 Bay of Plenty squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Halfbacks (scrum-halves)

First five-eighths (fly-halves)

Midfielders (centres)

Outside backs

(c) denotes the team captain.
Bold denotes internationally capped players.
ST denotes a short-term signing.
DEV denotes a development squad member.
  1. ↑ More wasn’t named in the original Bay of Plenty squad, but was announced in the side for Round 9.[2]
  2. ↑ Rounds wasn't named in the original Bay of Plenty squad, but was announced in the side for Round 3.[3]
  3. ↑ Wiki-Quest wasn't named in the original Bay of Plenty squad, but was announced as a late inclusion in the side for Round 7.[4]
  4. ↑ Spratley wasn’t named in the original Bay of Plenty squad, but was announced in the side for Round 6.[5]
  5. ↑ Lea wasn't named in the original Bay of Plenty squad, but was named in the side for Round 4.[6]
  6. ↑ Van Vugt wasn't named in the original Bay of Plenty squad, but was named as a late inclusion in the side for Round 3.[7]
  7. ↑ Ware wasn't named in the original Bay of Plenty squad, but was announced in the side for Round 2.[8]
Source: [9]

Honours

[edit]

Bay of Plenty have been overall Champions on 1 occasion, winning the inaugural title in 1976. Their full list of honours include:[10][11]

National Provincial Championship First Division
  • Winners: 1976
National Provincial Championship Second Division North Island
  • Winners: 1978
National Provincial Championship Second Division
  • Winners: 2000
Mitre 10 Cup Championship Division
  • Winners: 2019

Current Super Rugby players

[edit]

Players named in the 2025 Bay of Plenty Steamers squad, who also earned contracts or were named in a squad for any side participating in the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.[12][13][14][15][16][17]

Player Team
Naitoa Ah Kuoi Chiefs
Josh Bartlett Highlanders
Nikora Broughton Highlanders
Leroy Carter Chiefs
Lucas Cashmore Hurricanes
Kurt Eklund Blues
Fehi Fineanganofo Hurricanes
Cole Forbes Blues
Haereiti Hetet Drua
Lalomilo Lalomilo Moana Pasifika
Veveni Lasaqa Highlanders
Tevita Mafileo Hurricanes
Emoni Narawa Chiefs
Reon Paul Blues
Rameka Poihipi Chiefs
Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi Chiefs
Pasilio Tosi Hurricanes
Kaleb Trask Chiefs

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Staff". Bay of Plenty Rugby. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  2. ↑ @boprugby; (23 September 2026). "Oh we're SO ON". Retrieved 24 September 2026 – via Instagram.
  3. ↑ @boprugby; (12 August 2026). "Your @generationhomesnz Steamers to take flight down south to fight for the Shield". Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via Instagram.
  4. ↑ @boprugby; (13 September 2026). "Team change: Leo Wiki-Quest debuts in place of Tevita Mafileo at 17". Retrieved 13 September 2026 – via Instagram.
  5. ↑ @boprugby; (2 September 2026). "Domain double header". Retrieved 2 September 2026 – via Instagram.
  6. ↑ @boprugby; (19 August 2026). "What a week!". Retrieved 20 August 2026 – via Instagram.
  7. ↑ @boprugby; (15 August 2026). "Team changes". Retrieved 17 August 2026 – via Instagram.
  8. ↑ @boprugby; (5 August 2026). "Steamers off to Rotorua for round 2 against @northlandrugby". Retrieved 8 August 2026 – via Instagram.
  9. ↑ @boprugby; (15 July 2026). "Your 2026 Steamers squad". Retrieved 15 July 2026 – via Instagram.
  10. ↑ "National Provincial Championship winners, 1976–2014". Te Ara. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  11. ↑ "Mitre 10 Cup". Rugby Heartland. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  12. ↑ "Gallagher Chiefs name cohesive 2025 squad" (Press release). Chiefs. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  13. ↑ "Highlanders name squad for 2025 DHL Super Rugby competition" (Press release). Highlanders. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  14. ↑ "Game Readiness and Maturity Key in 2025 Hurricanes Squad". Hurricanes (Press release). 12 November 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  15. ↑ "We're ready to take the handbrake off". Blues (Press release). 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  16. ↑ "Fijian Drua unveil 2025 squad" (Press release). Fijian Drua. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  17. ↑ "Moana Pasifika name squad for 2025". Moana Pasifika (Press release). 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bay_of_Plenty_(National_Provincial_Championship)&oldid=1376455847"