Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

The Kiwi sporting euphoria has continued over the last seven days, with the mighty All Blacks overcoming the Lions in style and Team New Zealand bringing home the America's Cup to the land of the long white cloud. 

From the heartbreak in San Fransisco four years ago, the black boat and team of America Cup novices, have brought the Auld Mug back to New Zealand.

Leading the way was Western Bay's helmsman Peter Burling, who was unflappable to his opponents jibes and let the TNZ feats on the water do the talking. 

Much has been made in the media of the high success of the 1971 Lions, who are the only Lions side to have won a (test) series in New Zealand.

One of the toughest games that they endured outside the tests was the encounter with Bay of Plenty at the Tauranga Domain. 

Sideline Sid has been doing a little research and has come to the conclusion that spectators numbers at the second to last game on the tour are like catching fish - the stories get bigger with age.  

The doyen of New Zealand rugby writers TP McLean stated in his book "Lions Rampant" published in 1971, that the crowd numbered fifteen thousand. Another book entitled "The Visitors" released in 1990, said that a crowd of 20,000 crammed into the ground.

A recent local media story attributed twenty-three thousand at the match. 

What this grey haired rugby fan who was at the match, knows, is that whatever the attendance numbers were there wasn't a spare seat in the house. 

Three sets of temporary sets ringed the ground stretching skyward.

Today's health and safety legislation wouldn't allow the temporary scaffolding that had Bay of Plenty rugby fans packed into the Tauranga Domain like sardines in a can.

With just three rounds of the regular Baywide premier competition to come, one would need a crystal ball, to find who will be crowned the 2017 Baywide premier champion in just five weeks time.

Entering last weekend's fourth round, Rotoiti sat on top of the perch with Te Puke Sports lurking in close attendance. The defeat of the two front-runners split the title race wide open, with seven of the eight contenders still in the mix for a playoff spot. 

Last year's champions Rangataua flexed their muscles at Te Ariki Park to despatch Rotoiti 27-7, with Tauranga Sports winning an arm wrestle in beating Te Puke Sports 12-9. 

Mount Maunganui surged to the top of the standings with a big 54-19 victory over Whakarewarewa, with Te Puna cementing their place just outside the top four courtesy of defeating Greerton Marist. 

This weekend has some mouth-watering match ups on offer, with no more so than long-time Western Bay rivals Mount Maunganui and Tauranga Sports squaring off at Blake Park.

To give an extra edge to the encounter, the Western Bay of Plenty Sub-Union challenge prize of the Jordan Cup will be on the line. 

Te Puke Sports host Rangataua at Pirates headquarters, Rotoiti travel to the Western Bay of Plenty to play Greerton Marist while Te Puna will be heavily favoured to beat Whakarewarewa at Maramatanga Park. 

Go the Might All Blacks.