Counties Manukau will square off with Bay of Plenty on Thursday the 23rd of August.
Counties will be looking to bounce back from their narrow four-point defeat to Auckland when they host a Bay of Plenty side that got their campaign off to a very positive start by hammering a much-fancied Taranaki.
Counties Manukau v Bay of Plenty
Thursday 23 August
Navigation Homes Stadium
09:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Counties 15/20
Draw 20/1
Bay of Plenty 11/10
Counties Manukau
This weekend’s hosts put up a great fight against Auckland last week and were rewarded for their endeavours claiming a losing bonus point down in Auckland. They will now hope to register their first win of the season against Championship outfit, Bay of Plenty.
Key to Counties victory last week was their forward packs ability to stand up to Auckland’s big boys. They will need to show the same determination at the set-piece this time around as Bay of Plenty were mightily impressive up-front last week.
Bay of Plenty
What a way to start your campaign! Bay of Plenty were nothing short of sensational last weekend as they hammered Taranaki 30-10. Unfortunately for this weekend’s visitors, they were unable to garner a bonus point from the game as most of their points came from penalties rather than tries.
The result is a massive coup for a Bay of Plenty side looking to make the Championship play-offs this year. And if they can make it two wins against Premiership opposition in successive weeks, then the Steamers will be well on their way to claiming a spot in the semis.
Verdict: Bay of Plenty 11/10
I was mightily impressed by the Steamers’ tenacity last weekend, and if they show the same sort of fortitude then they could well grab another win here.
