Richard Watt: Bay of Plenty Coach ahead of the NPC Season Finale

It’s a chance for Bay of Plenty to reclaim provincial rugby's top honours for the first time in almost half a century. 

The Steamers are one game away from winning their first NPC title since its inception in 1976, but have to get past minor premiers Wellington in the capital this afternoon. 

BOP Head Coach Richard Watt joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to preview the season finale. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sports Breakfast podcast with Dancy
Wildegrave from News Talks b.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
MPC Final Time three oh five This afternoon, Wellington taking
on Bay of Plenty. They have Plenty head coach Richard
Watt joins us. Now, Richard, this is what it's all about.
This is what you're planning for for the whole season.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, mate, yeah, and uh yeah, you know the last
week on the compents we here, so you know we're on.
We're on.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
What's the trick being what have you worked through this
year that's given you the success that you've had so far?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
The question quite a bit this week. I think I'm
just sort of saying, I think I sort of three
years a week may we sort of ht this crew
together for its good bye to three years here and
we're also where we're here. Got two differn the the
fifty of game cover weeks, so couple two years of
specific game cover weeks ago. We've had eight bloods of

(01:02):
change this year and we just took you know, Lossie
and I think the I think there was that such
strides that were in the Super Final this year, so
we're actually what we experience and key positions. He had
trouble teach for us to each top four sitting in
the tower and loss of the up front, so we
got as the experience heads right for the team and

(01:24):
just a nice dance of free strint talent as well.
You know, it's all just moved together nicely.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, do you feel like you've come under the raider
to a degree? Not one of the more fancied teams,
and that's that's helped your ascension possibly composing.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
You haven't really got the top eight. Any one of
those teams could have beaten anyone on the day over
the top eight. That's what you want out of the
com right, So two of the top four seas suld
get knock out, you know. So I'm under the radar
and not sure. I think we had a storm week
first and we know there were at the top, and
then we actually lost two weeks after storm week. So

(02:03):
but we've been sitting the top four most of the year.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Not worth focusing on the last time here in the
final because that's so retrospective, but there must be a
wee bit of energy behind it that finally the bay
back up where you'd say you belong.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
I remember being the ball board in nine and Jeries
sixthe apart in well it's a twenty year reunion of
the twenty fourteen and won the rent for the shield
up and awesome and that timing has been beautiful because
that doctor was that doco they made on that team
just came out last week and as a pretty full
doco and it was the last time they based something

(02:44):
really big, you know, twenty years and on that shield
and so those guys had a big reunion of one
of their games and were looking for the launch last weeks.
Really inspirational side of timing that was good. So what
was There's lots of energy out of that story, you know.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
So Richard, the strength of your team, have you got
a full quiver to pick from us? Everybody correct and
present and feeling, okay, we're.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
Pretty healthy, mate. We got one but losses, justin Sensor,
who his needs of shreds the quarter final when he
was playing for Broken End anyway, so he's he taking
the taking the four of us, he's taking the front
of it and he's but the rest of the rest
of the crew and bruises, they're all footing Avai, which

(03:32):
is awesome the time with you all.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
The pressure Richard is on Wellington at home. They won
the championship many many times, the premiership or the competition
many many times. So that is that an advantage to
you that you're not carrying a lot of stress going
into this game.

Speaker 3 (03:49):
I think. So I've never won a homes I've never
won a home final. Well that I didn't know, I
believe me.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
I know.

Speaker 3 (03:59):
Oh yeah, I think it's not a sup performer. We're not.
We're not a pretty experience threw here. And I would
say there was six guys and the super finals this
year to Euchland and the tower and trips and fhole
falls in it. So we're got in rosy. So we've
got some quite good experiences here. I think that's nothing

(04:20):
could chance with the occasion it was. You know, you're
over ouse, so he's going to go down there into
our business, you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Yeah, And as far as what they bring to the park,
I suppose you're not overly concerned about that. It's what
the bake and bring and wellings and didn't do what
they want. But this has got to be your narrative.
This is your game and who cares what they do?

Speaker 3 (04:40):
Right about us? It was well I'm sentertaining the Hurricanes,
you know, I'll say they're all ball players, get all
off loads to school fit, you know, pretty much it's
going to come down the moment that it's going to
come down in a few moments probably. And I think
last time we were down there four weeks ago, mate,

(05:01):
we we had a lot of time. There's twenty two
and we didn't really can do much of that and
they had two minutes or one minute or twenty two
month spot three tries, you know, So that's an example
of competing your opportunities and honey is more, you know,
that's that's that's nothing changed there where we would we
be this time run down there.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
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