QUARTERFINAL HIGHLIGHTS: Bay of Plenty v Hawke’s Bay (Bunnings NPC 2024)

Here we go everyone, kia ora koutou from the beautiful Tauranga domain on your Super Saturday here on Sky Sport. It's quarterfinal number two and the 2024 Bunnings NPC is Bay of Plenty host Hawke's Bay. Mils Muliaina joins me in commentary. Kia ora tatou, tāloha lava, Bevan Ben downstairs and good afternoon to our viewers at home. Well as you mentioned quarterfinal two and as always plenty on the line for these two provinces. Not only a semi-final spot but bragging rights of who really is the mate. Tahirirangi comes back the left-hand side, here it is for Trask, double pumps then got the pass on. Tahirirangi, now brought in. Seven metres out, this is good work, Ross this time. Four metres away from the Hawke's Bay line-up, two metres out. Coming slowly for Bay of Plenty, Tahirirangi wants it. Goes the open, here it is for Trask, short ball. But the lead into it was really nice by Bay of Plenty. Here's the turn over Godfrey, he gets isolated after the initial kick. Koi gets over the top, he's been very evident in the early pieces of the game. Trask takes it to line, good tackle here in the offload. And as it bounces, Kata, he had all the time in the world, Bay of Plenty score first. 16 phases it took them as well and the end might have been a touch messy but they got the job done in the end, the break from Willis Hullahall to get them in this area. Bay of Plenty have tapped it back on their side, now Tahirirangi moves it on for Broughton, out into the backs, here's Hullahall. Now Ngaruwa puts in the goosy, still going Ngaruwa. Oh there's that threat in the midfield, a bit of footwork. Shows his feint, now that's forward, man they are threatening. Inari, another box from him, Bay of Plenty wait, tap back on the Hawke's Bay side and they have possession. Higgins got the pass away and Arketty Stones has to pounce on the scraps. Advantage as well for Hawke's Bay. Advantage over now the corner, Inari to Renton, he winds up. Inari hits the short side, Higgins, here it is now for Godfrey again. Godfrey up the park, still going, look at Illion's moves. Absolutely right and they needed it too, all the possession and territory against them. They finally found a bit of space on that left hand side and Godfrey, he snipes it out, ball in two hands, steps off the left and cover defence coming across, goes off the left again and under the post he goes. Well he's been the man on defence, he's had, he's the one making the tackles in on the threat, this time on attack. Godfrey a game winner for them a couple of weeks ago against Auckland, that kick from the sideline, last week solid in a losing performance. 10 minutes to go before half time, Hawke's Bay up inside the attacking zone, scores a level. Thompson down the shot, that's power from Thompson. He snipes out to the right hand side, on that inside got a couple of defenders but too strong. Well it's the first time they've had a nice clean line out win as well, Flanders at the front and they were set and then Thompson, he's so dynamic. McClutchy, the pass away, here's RKT Stones keeping this alive, hands Greg up the park, up over the half, what breaks out of another tackle, Hawke's Bay still have it, Renton, McClutchy, going wide out at RKT Stones, drawing in the defence, Inari, McClutchy, Flanders, still going Flanders, got the pass away as well to RKT Stones. Has to go back for it, he'll straighten things up. Bay are pretty looking for another turnover, and they want it, they needed that. Oh they certainly did, didn't they? Here's this little break there, this is lovely work, RKT Stones, he gets it away and Greg, he's been good this season, looking to get through this next tackle, it's strong and RKT Stones, well this is really good work. That'll be halftime, here at the Tauranga Domain, a tight quarterfinal affair here, Hawke's Bay lead Bay of Plenty at halftime, 12 points to 7. And now, this is a critical line-out time. Yes indeedy, Eklund throws to Arkoi, Bay of Plenty, start up the driving ball, going forward now, Eklund has control of it, they've got a scorer, are they sure? Advantage, and a penalty try. Be a yellow card too. Oh it was initially defended really well by Hawke's Bay, but they just shifted a little bit to the left, and as they moved and got momentum, there was hits, he ended up trying to retreat, and didn't get back onside, which stopped that try, so definitely a penalty try, and what a way to strike in the second half, should I say, for Bay of Plenty. Yeah, look at their body positions here, and you can see it's actually Willis Halahala, he's in the back two next to Eklund, they had Rion Paul, the new man in jersey 22, he's in there somewhere also, and that's where the infringement of Joel Hintz, offside, and then pulling it down illegally, or getting in the way illegally. Testing this Hawke's Bay defence, now Tahuriorangi changing direction, Eklund moving it wide, quick hands now, diving on the scraps, ball still there, for Bay of Plenty, Ngaroa, cleaning things up, the ball was out for a long time, now Broughton again, breaking away at the puck, and a screw coming up, oh gee, what a moment of play, from both sides, and this man, it was Broughton, he initially dented the line, and broke through, there it is, here shows some strong ability off his legs, Ross gets his ball in hand, watch Godfrey come through, that's a try, so possibly a save up, to Grudge, it's good, Hawke's Bay moorlet, looking to re-hit the lead, still going Hawke's Bay, three metres out, it's gone to ground, ball there for Whakatama, looking left and right, goes the left, here it is for Renton, over and scored, gee I'm not sure how he got over that line, Hugh Renton, oh he had a bit of a break there, well there's one knee that hit the ground, that right knee went down, yeah well there we go, look at that change, double movement, knees are on the ground, he then goes again, double movement, you'll see it'll be that, yeah the right knee, it's on the ground, then the next one also, yeah so technically he has to release the ball, Hawke's Bay, another attacking chance again, well inside the 22, Devery has control of it, Hawke's Bay are going forward, this is looking good, this is looking real good, Hawke's Bay crash over, now the turn down three points, for the picked up five, here have a look at the height as well, as Devery gets that ball, but they say nice and settled, really wide, got a little bit of help from the backs as well, and they just split them open, over he goes, a lovely angle away to the right, towards the goal post, and then it just switched back, and that's where the momentum was, for Devery in the back, here's Cashmore taking on the line, Tahiriurangi hits the short side, Johnstone, pedal the advantage, Bay are planting, two and a half to play, Akoi quick hands Cashmore, now Trask coming across, got the offload away, keeping us alive here, Bay are planting, and they'll come back to the line now, both sides, well here is the Cashmore on his left foot, so they're going to put it deep into the corner, I mean it's holding up, even with that clearance, Hawke's Bay contesting this, but he's saying it is, he's right, he actually crosses the play out, and he's got to actually catch it back inside, rather than stepping it back, so this is massive, this is huge, Bay are planting, line out is good, Akoi gets it back, here it is here, nice and steady, a few of the backs decide to come in and help, and I'll tell you what, so did the crowd, they got in behind it too, small steps from Bay are plenty, and there it is, Tahiriurangi, over they go, he's the man, he's got the ball in his hands at the moment, five tries he's scored, a lot from the bench as well, that's impact, what a time to score a try in your Blazer game, here we go, who wants it more, there's the restart from McClutchy, held up in the bridge, what a game.