Live updates: NPC/Ranfurly Shield - Hawke's Bay v Bay of Plenty at Napier

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Hawke's Bay 36 Bay of Plenty 33

HB - Dixon, Rakete-Stones & Funaki tries; McClutchie 3 conversions & 3 penalties, Falcon 2 penalties

BOP - Narawa, Ratave 2, Wainui & Campbell tries; Trask 2 conversions, Black 2 conversions

Extra time

Fourth minute - Falcon will have a kick at goal for all the lollies - NPC points, Ranfurly Shield and THE Bay honours.

From in front, he slots the goal and Hawke's Bay over come out on top, 36-33

Third minute - Cridge wins the lineout and Magpies forward drive ahead. Lowe and Evans carry towards the line, and HB have penalty advantage for offside.

Second minute - Falcon tries a grubber for his winger to chase, but it's deflected into touch for an HB lineout.

First minute - Apparently the Shield rules have change and the draw is not enough to keep it... this will be settled afterwards, I guess.

Black wins the toss and BOP will play with the wind first. From the kickoff, HB go onto attack.

Second half

40th minute - Falcon slots the penalty to keep the Shield - phew! 33-33

Now they play Golden Point for the NPC points...

39th minute - BOP have one hand on the Shield, but HB are on attack, seeking a penalty that would level the scores. They have penalty advantage and Falcon will attempt the shot at goal from 40m with time up.

He's kicking into the wind - if he makes it, HB keep the Shield and they play extra time for the NPC point.

37th minute - TRY to Ratave

BOP desperately try to counterattack from their own half and pour into the HB half, with Lalamilo offloading to his powerful winger, who shrugs off a tackle and canters 30m to score. Black converts, BOP 33-30

36th minute - BOP win the lineout deep in their own half, but Narawa is halfted in midfield. The Steamers win a penalty and clear towards halfway.

35th minute - Fast hands create space for Visinia down the left, but Tahuriorangi is there to drag him down and BOP win a clearing penalty.

34th minute - HB win a defensive scrum and Falcon fakes a clearing kick, then sprints 60m downfield to mount an attack.

32nd minute - Black kicks to the 22 for another attacking lineout. Selby-Rickit wins, but the Steamers can make no headway. Eventually, the maul disintegrates and HB win the scrum feed.

31st minute - HB win a defensive lineout, Enari puts up a high ball and the forwards pour all over the BOP catcher, but BOP win a penalty on halfway.

29th minute - From Visinia's dropout, BOP build another attack, but they knock on and HB try to counterattack. Eventually, they win a clearing penalty.

28th minute - HB monster the BOP scrum, but are penalised again for detaching early. BOP take the quick tap, but Evans wraps up Finau to stop him scoring.

26th minute - When BOP shift left from the ruck, Visinia pounces for an intercept and is racing away, but called back for the penalty adantage. BOP opt for a scrum in front of the posts.

25th minute - Selby-Rickit wins the lineout and BOP drive the maul towards the line.

When the ball is shifted, BOP win another penalty advantage in front of the posts.

24th minute - BOP pour onto attack on the 22 and win a penalty advantage. Eventually, Trask drops the ball with the line open and the Steamers return for the penalty, which they kick to the corner.

23rd minute - McClutchie slots the goal, HB 30-26

From the kickoff, HB try to break out of their 22, with Sapsford making good ground with his first touch.

22nd minute - Magpies building phases, McClutchie eventually attempts a drop goal and take the penalty advantage. McClutchie lines up a shot at goal from in front...

Former All Black hooker Nathan Harris comes on for BOP.

21st minute - HB on attack, McClutchie makes an incisive run and they earn penalty advantage for a high tackle.

18th minute - TRY to Wainui

BOP win a penalty on halfway and Black finds touch inside the 22 for another attacking lineout.

They win the lineout and set the drive, eventually winning penalty advantage, but Black grubbers to the goal-line and Wainui chases the loose ball to score. Black converts, HB 27-26

17th minute - Cridge seems to be away for a try, but is called back, after obstruction.

15th minute - Magpies win a penalty inside the BOP half and you know what's coming next - McClutchie looks to the corner for an attacking lineout.

Tahuriorangi replaces Campbell at halfback for BOP, while O'Connor replaces Funaki.

14th minute - Funaki wins a breakdown penalty and HB clear to halfway.

13th minute - Trask kicks deep to the goal-line, McClutchie waits for the ball to dribble over the line before forcing, but that's a goal-line dropout.

11th minute - Trask's kick slices right of the posts.

10th minute - This time, Enari's clearance finds touch and BOP win a penalty from the lineout. Trask lines up the posts from 45m on the angle, but with the wind.

Ninth minute - Enari's high clearances gets blown backwards into the 22, but Ratave can't gather cleanly and HB have another chance to clear from the scrum.

Eighth minute - The ball never lies! BOP are pinged for a crooked throw to the lineout and HB have a chance to clear from the scrum.

Seventh minute - BOP win a scrum penalty and a chance to enter the HB half. Black finds touch just metres out from the corner flag, although Visinia almost salvages the ball back in play.

Sixth minute - BOP bring Black on for Tiatia and Finau replaces Karpik.

Fifth minute - Tiatia clears long, but Visinia powers over the first tackler - his offload goes forward.

Fourth minute - BOP kick long and Visinia counterattacks to halfway. Fast hands create openings down the left, but Selby-Rickit hustles back to break up the attack.

Second minute - Cridge wins the attacking lineout, HB drive, but BOP defend the maul well and win a clearing penalty. HB usually score from those situations.

First minute - From the kickoff, HB pout onto attack, with Mikaele-Tu'u and Dixon making headway, before the Magpies win a penalty. McClutchie kicks to the corner...

First half

40th minute - Another rampaging run from Mikaele-Tu'u, but HB are penalised at the breakdown and BOP kick to the corner for an attacking lineout.

Into added time, BOP win the lineout and try to find a way to the tryline, but a long pass from Trask is intercepted by McClutchie, who is cut down at halfway. The half ends, with Hawke's Bay ahead, after an entertaining 40 minutes.

39th minute - BOP threaten again, but Visinia is over the breakdown to win a clearing penalty for HB.

38th minute - BOP try to build something from their own half, but the ball is stolen.

36th minute - An HB knock-on brings them back for an offside by Karpik. McClutchie lines up another shot at goal and slots it, HB 27-19

35th minute - HB pour onto attack and Mikaele-Tu'u charges into a half gap - they're playing advantage.

33rd minute - BOP's kickoff goes out on the full and HB have a scrum on halfway to attack from...

31st minute - TRY to Rakete-Stones

BOP win the lineout, but a wayward pass is hacked upfield and HB pour onto attack. Eventually, the prop snaffles the ball and gallops 25m to score.

McClutchie converts, HB 24-19

30th minute - Tiatia takes a high ball on halfway and the HB defenders don't release him in the tackle, so BOP kick to the corner for another attacking lineout on the 22.

29th minute - McClutchie lines up a long-range penalty attempt from 45m out and with the wind - he slots it, BOP 19-17

27th minute - BOP are back on attack, but their lineout is a mess and they concede a clearing penalty at the breakdown.

25th minute - TRY to Ratave

BOP win an attacking lineout and the wild tapback falls to the winger, who is lurking perhaps a little too close to the action. No-one lays a hand on him as he rockets through a gap to score.

Trask converts, BOP 19-14

24th minute - BOP win a turnover in the HB half and Tiatia charges, throwing a long pass to Ratave, but the move breaks down with Wainui's wayward inpass.

23rd minute - BOP win a breakdown penalty, but their lineout throw is wayward and HB kick long.

20th minute - TRY to Funaki

Toala offloads in the tackle to Mikael-Tu'u, who charges into the 22, and from the breakdown, no-one has covered Funaki, who simply picks up the ball and sprints 20 metres to score.

McClutchie converts, HB 14-12

17th minute - TRY to Campbell

BOP win the lineout and Wainui makes a halfbreak. From another lineout, Selby-Rickit offloads to Campbell running a great angle inside to score.

Trask converts, BOP 12-7

16th minute - From the kickoff, HB control possession and charge into the BOP half, but Thwaites is over the breakdown and wins a clearing penalty.

13th minute - TRY to Dixon

Hawke's Bay win the lineout and set the drive. BOP have defended the maul quite well so far, so Dixon actually had to barge a few metres to find the tryline under a couple of would-be tacklers.

McClutchie swings his sideline conversion between the uprights, HB 7-5

12th minute - Cridge wins the lineout and Toala makes good ground into the 22, but BOP are penalised for offside and McClutchie kicks to the corner.

Hawke's Bay win the lineout, but when their attack breaks down, they have another penalty and another kick to the corner.

11th minute - Ili kicks deep into the corner and Trask's clearance only reaches the 22, so an attacking lineout for HB. Trask feels cheated of a few extra metres and voices his disapproval.

10th minute - Lowe makes makes big progress for HB, but another dropped pass gives BOP a chance to clear.

Eighth minute - From the kickoff, Hawke's Bay go on attack, but their progress breaks down, when Visinia spills a pass.

From a scrum, Tiatia clears, but finds touch on the full and play comes back to the BOP 22.

Fourth minute - TRY to Narawa

BOP clear the scrum and enter the 22. The ball goes right, then left and when it comes right, Wainui provides the final pass to Narawa, who dives over in the corner.

Narawa's force is reviewed, but confirmed. Flanders is down for Hawke's Bay and Evans is warming up from the bench - not a bad replacement.

Trask misses his conversion attempt from the sideline, BOP 5-0

Second minute - Parsons knocks on and BOP have an attacking scrum. There's some handbags exchanged, so both teams feeling the occasion.

First minute - Trask kicks off for BOP and Hawke's Bay control, looking for the chance to exit.

Eventually, McClutchie clears and Tiatia returns the favour.

2:02pm - Visitors Bay of Plenty have won the toss and will play with the wind in the second half.

Napier may be at Alert Level 2, but they've squeezed quite a few bubbles into McLeans Park, so the few here are raucous.

*****

Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the NPC rugby clash between Hawke's Bay and Bay of Plenty - the 'Battle for the Bay' - which also doubles as a Ranfurly Shield challenge.

With most of the country emerging from COVID-19 lockdown, the national provincial competition has restarted this weekend, with these two archrivals thrust immediately into an age-old grudge match for the right to be known as THE Bay for the next 12 months.

Coincidentally, the Log O' Wood is also up for grabs, so the winners will have a trophy to parade afterwards.

Hawke's Bay lifted the Shield off Otago last season, en route to the championship title and promotion into the premiership division.

Ironically, Bay of Plenty actually hold THE Bay title, after beating the Magpies 22-17 at Tauranga last November - a non-Shield fixture.

Both currently sit at the bottom of the premiership with one win and one loss from their two outings, so the winners today will earn a little breathing room from the relegation zone.

Hawke's Bay: 1-Pouri Rakete-Stones, 2-Ash Dixon, 3-Joe Apikotoa, 4-Geoff Cridge, 5-Tom Parsons, 6-Marino Mikaele-Tu'u, 7-Solomone Funaki, 8-Devan Flanders, 9-Ereatara Enari, 10-Lincoln McClutchie, 11-Jonah Lowe, 12-Danny Toala, 13-Stacey Ili, 14-Neria Fomai, 15-Lolagi Visinia

Reserves: 16- Jacob Devery, 17-Namatahi Waa, 18-Joel Hintz, 19-Josh Kaifa, 20-Gareth Evans, 21-Tiaan Falcon, 22-Ollie Sapsford, 23-Brendon O'Connor

Bay of Plenty: 1-Aidan Ross (c), 2-Nathan Vella, 3-Jeff Thwaites, 4-Justin Sangster, 5-Manaaki Selby-Rickit, 6-Angus Scott-Young, 7-Mitch Karpik, 8-Whetukamokamo Douglas, 9-Luke Campbell, 10-Kaleb Trask, 11-Onisi Ratave, 12-Inga Finau, 13-Sean Wainui, 14-Emoni Narawa, 15-Chase Tiatia 

Reserves: 16-Nathan Harris, 17-Haereiti Hetet, 18-Pasilio Tosi, 19-Stan van den Hoven, 20-Penitoa Finao, 21-Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22-Otere Black, 23-Lalomilo Lalomilo

TAB Odds: Hawke's Bay $1.83, Bay of Plenty $1.90

Robinson left 'frustrated' following NPC player COVID-19 lockdown botch

Six Auckland-based rugby players have been returned to their homes, after they were wrongfully exempted to travel and play for other provinces under COVID-19 protocols.

With New Zealand divided under alert levels and Auckland still languishing under Level 4 , the National Provincial Championship will resume for teams outside the city on Friday.

But NZ Rugby has revealed that players on loan to outside unions were inadvertently granted travel exemptions to leave lockdown and travel to those provinces to play this weekend.

Six players had relocated to Wellington, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, Bay of Plenty and Northland over the past 6-10 days.

NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson insists the players and their adopted provincial unions had followed the exemption process in good faith, including full disclosure of their circumstances and their roles as professional rugby players, but admits the forms were filed "incorrectly".

"I want to make it clear the players are not at fault in this situation," says Robinson. "The respective provincial unions managed an online application process to move their players out of Auckland.

NZ Rugby CEO Mark Robinson
NZ Rugby CEO Mark Robinson. Photo credit: Photosport

"We're frustrated that we're in this position, and we recognise it's incredibly unfortunate situation.

"We're certainly not hiding from it. We've come out and own this as quickly as we possibly can. We've been very proactive. Since we were made aware of this on late on Monday, we've talked to all of the necessary agencies as soon as possible, and been very open and transparent with all of them.

"We are disappointed with what has occurred. Our focus now is to support our players and provincial unions, who now recognise that their processes should have been more robust. 

"We are working closely with them to remedy the situation and get the players home. They are all following health authority advice around COVID-19 protocols."

All six players were vaccinated, four of them fully.

"The Government has been extremely understanding since we approached them, and we are grateful for their advice and guidance," says Robinson. "We'd also like to thank our provincial Unions for their cooperation as we have worked through this issue."