The Northern Region Under-16 Championship decider between Bay of Plenty and Waikato played at the Tauranga Domain lived up to expectations of a showcase of the best young talent in the Chiefs franchise.

A first half try awarded to Rotorua Boys' High Isaac Te Aute and a penalty goal by schoolmate Rueben Vaipo, had the Bay side trailing by just two points at halftime.

A real arm wrestle in the second spell was broken when Waikato ran in two quick fire tries midway through the half to race out to a 24-8 advantage.

However, the last 10 minutes belonged to the Bay of Plenty team, which showed real resolve to come back into the match.

A well-executed touchdown finished off by Tauranga Boys' Mungo Mason and converted by Rueben Vaipo put the home team back in a sniff of victory.

With the clock ticking down the Bay side made another well constructed attack on the try line with a Bay mistake on the line denying a third home side touchdown.

In spite of suffering defeat in the title decider, the Bay of Plenty representatives can be well pleased with their Northern Region performances, where the lost just a solitary match in their five game campaign.

Nearly 200 points with just 45 conceded, tells the tale of a team of youngsters who appear headed for bright rugby futures.

Four tries in the first half, still wasn't enough to take the Bay of Plenty Under-18 team to victory against North Harbour in the curtain raiser at the Tauranga Domain.

The match kicked off with the home side hard on attack, keeping North Harbour in their own half for most of the first quarter. Mason Walker thrilled the good-sized crowd of home supporters when he ran in two tries, with Shem Wharerau also dotting down to take the Bay side out to a 17-7 lead.

The fourth Bay try came when Mita Hona scorched down the field to score – with the Bay representatives taking a 22-14 advantage at the halfway stage of the encounter.

A successful second half penalty goal slotted by Matthew Cole stretched the lead to eleven points.

However, a North Harbour revival, which resulted in three tries took the visitors to a 31-25 victory.

BOPRU Representative Results October 1

Under-18: North Harbour 31 Bay of Plenty 25 (Mason Walker 2, Shem Wharerau, Mita Hona tries; Matt Cole pen con) HT 14-24.

Under-16: Waikato 24 BOP 15 (Isaac Te Aute, Mungo Mason tries; Rueben Vaipo pen con) HT 10-8.