Bay of Plenty vs Manawatu Predictions & Tips - Bay of Plenty to return to winning ways

Ralph Staniforth

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Last updated: 04 Sep 2024

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Ralph Staniforth 04 Sep 2024

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Bay of Plenty has lost their last two NPC matches.
Manawatu has lost all four of their matches this season but shown improvement.
Bay of Plenty aims to bounce back and may rest key players.

Expired

Manawatu have lost all four of their matches this season but have been competitive in recent games (Getty Images)

Bay of Plenty vs Manawatu Preview

The hosts will be looking to bounce back after two successive defeats. They should have the quality at home to get the bonus point and cover the -21 handicap.

Bay of Plenty vs Manawatu Preview
Head to Head
Bay of Plenty Form
Bay of Plenty Injuries & Team News
Manawatu Form
Manawatu Injuries & Team News

Bay of Plenty have won their last 2 home matches.
Bay of Plenty reached the final of the 2023 NPC.
Bay of Plenty have lost their last 2 matches.
Manawatu have lost their last 3 matches.
Manawatu have lost by less than 21 points in their last 3 matches.

Head to Head

In five of their last six encounters, Bay of Plenty have come out victorious. In 2020, Bay of Plenty won 53-35.

Bay of Plenty Form

Bay of Plenty will be desperate to find their feet again in the NPC. They made the final of the 2023 NPC and then began this season with a bang, winning their opening three games.

Those victories came at Waikato, at home to Counties Manukau and North Harbour. However, the runners-up from last season have fallen flat in the last two weeks, losing 31-26 at Otago and 24-15 at Tasman last weekend.

Against Tasman, Bay of Plenty made a poor start in very wet conditions. From there it was always an uphill battle, and although they pushed in the second half, errors allowed Tasman to pull away.

Bay of Plenty Injuries & Team News

Bay of Plenty will fancy their chances this weekend, so they opt to rest a few key players for bigger matches ahead.

Manawatu Form

Manawatu are rooted to the bottom of the NPC table with just two points from four games played. They have lost all four and have a -70 points difference.

In round one, Manawatu went down 54-21 at home to Tasman before losing 35-18 at Northland. They put up a good fight against Wellington in round three, losing 39-31.

Another decent performance last weekend saw Manawatu come close against the defending champions, Hawkes Bay. However, the 38-26 loss was just enough to get them a bonus point.

Manawatu Injuries & Team News

Manawatu have played well over the last two rounds, but this is a tough away trip for them. I can see them making a few changes.

Verdict

Bay of Plenty v Manawatu

Bay of Plenty have lost their last two fixtures in the NPC. While I fancy them winning, Manawatu have value in the handicap market.

Manawatu +21

Handicap

@10/11 - 3 Units

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