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Story: Bay of Plenty region

Rugby fans

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Rugby fans

Youthful Bay of Plenty rugby supporters pose with ‘Hori BOP’ of the ‘BOP mafia’ at the Bay of Plenty–Canterbury match in 2004. The Steamers (named for Rotorua’s geysers) went down 26–33, losing the Ranfurly Shield, which they had wrested from Auckland (33–28) and retained against Waikato (26–20).

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BOP Mafia

by Brendon Gardner

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How to cite this page

Malcolm McKinnon, Bay of Plenty region – Life and leisure, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/5652/rugby-fans (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 August 2016.