Sports correspondent & historian with Sideline Sid

As an avid Bay of Plenty Steamers fan for more than 50 years, it’s extremely pleasing to see the large number of blue and gold supporters who have attended the BOP sides first two games at the Tauranga Domain this season.

As a newbie octogenarian, I have found it more comfortable to catch the action of the Steamers home games from the comfort of my lounge at home.

Four big milestones stand out for me as I look back on the time since I went to my first Bay of Plenty representative match in 1970.

In the lead-up to the 1971 British Lions tour of New Zealand, Tauranga rugby administrators had lobbied the New Zealand Rugby Union to allocate a game to the Tauranga Domain.

Previously, international tours stopped off in Rotorua, which was the then-provincial capital of the Bay of Plenty.

It is hard to believe five decades later, that over 20,000 rugby fans, including this writer, were packed like sardines into the Tauranga Domain on August 10, 1971. The huge crowd was courtesy of a large amount of scaffolding that took rugby club volunteers three weeks to install.

Bay of Plenty almost upset the applecart against one of the best international sides to ever visit New Zealand, with the Lions scrambling home 20-14.

History can never erase the Bay of Plenty name as the winner of the inaugural NPC in 1976.

The introduction of the National Provincial Championship changed the New Zealand rugby landscape, from annual traditional fixtures to a winner-take-all race to become the best provincial rugby team in the country.

The 1976 NPC records will show that Bay of Plenty played 10 matches, winning eight, losing to Counties and drawing 10-all with Wellington.

Bay of Plenty were rewarded for their NPC success with the selection of Greg Rowlands, Eddie Stokes and John Brake in the All Black side that toured Argentina later in 1976.

Perusal of the Steamers record in 1982 made dismal reading, of just two NPC successes, until turning the page to the Australian visit to the Rotorua International Stadium.

From the Mark Basham opening try early in the encounter, the Steamers ran the visitors ragged to turn a 16-nil half-time lead into an amazing 40-16 victory.

My most vivid memory of being amongst the 10,000 spectators was watching the Australian team stand and clap the Bay side from the field.

Bay of Plenty reversed 18 previous unsuccessful Ranfurly Shield challenges when they ripped the Log o’ Wood from Auckland, courtesy of a 33-28 win in 2004.

Waikato were repelled 26-20, in the first Bay of Plenty defence, in front of a full house at the then-Bay of Plenty home at Baypark.

Two weeks later, the Bay of Plenty Ranfurly Shield hoopla was over with Canterbury returning home with the big prize after a 33-26 victory.

However, the Ranfurly Shield celebrations will last long in the memories in most Steamers fans of the time, for a lifetime, with amazing scenes of celebration that saw the Log o’ Wood travel far and wide in the Bay of Plenty during that magical three weeks.