Otago Rugby Union eNewsletter

Editorial

Happy Friday everyone and welcome back to another edition of the ORFU Newsletter!

There was plenty of exhausted yet ecstatic players after two community games at Forsyth Barr Stadium last weekend. Teams from the Championship colts and Senior grade enjoyed the opportunity to play under the roof in our ‘For the love of the game’ day which gave highlight and an opportunity for those who typically don’t get the chance to play in our premier local venue.

They were two fantastic games that both players and spectators enjoyed.

Championship Colts

Kaikorai Wovles 21 defeated by Upper Clutha Colts 26

Senior Grade
West Taieri 36 defeat Crescent 22

Footy Fusion kicks off Sunday 9th May! The ORFU in collaboration with our friends at Football South are holding the Footy Fusion Day at Forsyth Barr Stadium! It will be a great chance for all kids to learn and try new skills in both codes. Make sure you scroll down for more information on how to get registered.

In 2021 the ORFU in co-operation with the Otago Rugby Referees Association - Inc have some new incentives on offer to work together with our rugby community to service our game. Lack of Referees is not a "Referee problem" it is a Rugby problem. So we need... RUGBY HELPING RUGBY. We encourage you to think of someone who has a passion for the game. See the new referee incentive we have on offer in 2021 below!

If you want to play club rugby in 2021 it's not too late to get yourself registered... Check out our club directory page on our website for all relevant info or click here

Want to play women's club rugby in 2021? Click here for club contacts.

Southern Region, Central Region and Metro Premier Draws are now available to view. For more information on how to navigate these draws scroll down.

Interesting Reads from Otago Daily Times:

This week we feature a young and enthusiastic member of our association, Sam Adam. Sam is from Auckland, a product of Auckland Grammar and is currently undertaking his Masters in Teaching at the University of Otago. Sam is also a member of our Otago Rugby Referees Association’s exec, it's always great to see young representatives bringing energy in this space. He is a great communicator out in the middle and tomorrow he officiates in his 12th Premier fixture with Zingari Richmond taking on Otago University, which is sure to be a tough clash as Zingari comes off of the back of a gutsy win last week. All the best to all involved in rugby tomorrow, and remember to support OUR Referees.

Dunedin vs Zingari-Richmond

Being a team that has only won two games in the past three years, a win on Saturday was just what Zingari-Richmond needed. Against Dunedin, Zingari dominated territory and possession, while also putting on a strong scrum. With too many mistakes from Dunedin, Zingari managed to steal the win with one point in it. Final score- 17- 16.

Big River Country vs Alhambra Union

After three rounds of the Otago Women’s competition Big River Country have been playing some outstanding footy. Last Saturday they battled against Alhambra Union in a game where both sides attacked well and put on some big hits on defence. With two players in the sin bin, BRC managed to defend well displaying a whole lot of grit and determination right till the end they stole the win 41 points to 29. BRC dominated in scrum time with players Isla Pringle and Tegan Hollows working hard. Fellow forwards Kelsey Miller, Emma Takapi and Kayley Johnson carried strongly. Nicole Kennedy supplied some great ball from the ruck and backs Samarra Soper and Bailey Owen played strongly. For Alhambra, Teilah Ferguson was a standout on attack and defence. Number 8 Eilis Doyle and prop Tia Clark worked hard.

Otago University vs Alhambra Union - HLP Cup

Final score: 44-10 to University.

A tight turn around proved to be too much for the AU women on Wednesday night against the traditionally strong Varisty side. AU had a strong and closely contested performance a few days prior down South against Big River Country, therefore the lack of recovery time perhaps cost them the chance to tip over the well rested University girls who had a last minute default the weekend prior.

Owaka vs Clinton

Owaka stole the win from Clinton last Friday night to retain the Bill Mitchell Memorial Trophy. Owaka had most of the possession in the first half and with a poor disciplined Clinton side, Owaka benefitted greatly. Owaka had a 17-8 lead at halftime, with tries being made by Clinton’s players Takyhara Ieru, Hunter Cleland and Laumua Ieru. Clinton dominated in scrum time and their forwards ran with purpose. Unfortunately, this was not enough against the solid Owaka side who finished strongly to wrap up the game 29 points to 13. Standouts of the game were Locks Todd Keen and Hadley Clark and winger Takyhara Leru. While Fullback Hunter Cleland and inside back James Maclean also played strongly. For Clintons side, players James Matheson and Aaron Lupton performed well. Mark Wells played an intelligent game with scoring two tries.

Clutha Valley vs West Taieri

Teams Clutha Valley and West Taieri are yet to be beaten in the Southern region competition following the fifth round of the competition. Clutha Valley had an impressive performance at home in the weekend with a win over Heriot. Valley made the post of all opportunities and had the most possession. Due to Heriots mistakes, Valley scored three tries to lead 19-3 at half time. Valley added three more tries in the second half to finish the game comfortably with a 40-20 win. Standouts were first five-eight Thomas Johnson who tackled well and scored himself a try. Players Liam Turnbull, Lachie Gunson and Damian Wilson also performed well.

West Taieri had a hard-fought win over Clutha. Both teams were forced to make changes in the second half due to injuries. West Taieri’s bench performed well with reserves Jared Cunningham, Arlen Docherty and Ben Davidson who added spark to the game. West Taieri managed to get ahead in the second half, getting the win 19-8.

For the first time Otago Rugby and Football South, two of the larger winter participation codes, will come together to deliver a Footy Fusion experience to the community under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium. The event which has been made possible via Dunedin Venues Community Access Grant, is aimed at providing those current and future participants the chance to learn new skills and enjoy a fun day playing both codes on the same day.

ORFU Capability Manager Simon Wallace is excited to see a day like this unfold “we have had some anecdotal feedback from our community the desire for children to participate in both sports, so this event goes a small way to meet that demand. Our biggest competition as a regional sporting organisation is not necessarily other winter codes but the ability for kids to choose to not participate in any sport. By working with Football South on this event we hope to give new participants an experience they enjoy by trying both sports for the first time”.

Football South Operations Manager Julia Connor said “this is the perfect opportunity for every child in the region to have a go at New Zealand’s most iconic sport rugby and the world’s most iconic sport football. Players might not have played rugby, football or any sport but this gives everyone the opportunity to try something new and to do so in the stadium”.

This collaborative event delivering sport to the community is a perfect adoption of Sport New Zealand’s Balance is Better philosophy that puts the participant first with a focus on maximising participation and skill development.

Information on the registration process can be found on the Football South and Otago Rugby Facebook pages and registration link HERE. Both organisations will also communicate key details via their community club networks and with the help of Sport Otago via primary and intermediate schools in the region.

How to Keep Your Players Motivated

A question I hear a lot is... How do I keep my players engaged and motivated?

In a world where players have so much choice and are often used to being over stimulated keeping them engaged and motivated at training can be a challenge.

Let us take a moment to also acknowledge that the average player now a days is built a little different to back in the olden days when I was playing. Back in the day the coach would say run, jump, tackle and players would run, jump and tackle. As I am sure many of you would agree that is not always the case today. This is a whole other conversation in itself, but that is for another day.

Daniel Pink’s excellent book “Drive” may give some insights on how we as coaches can create an environment that will keep our players motivated and engaged.

Although Pink’s focus was on the workplace, the key principles are universal.

In essence in the workplace there was often a belief that if you paid your staff more money they would be happy and work harder. Interestingly once an individual’s basic costs were covered Pink’s research showed more money actually led to a decrease in productivity and satisfaction.

So, what can be done.

Pink boiled it down to 3 key ideas

Purpose
Autonomy
Mastery

What does this look like in a practical sense as a coach.

Take the time to understand why each player in your squad is there. What is their WHY or Purpose. This allows you to be very specific with your language and connect on a deeper level. As they say, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Give your players some skin in the game. Ask questions, listen and take suggestions on board. What does a great training session look like? What did we do well on Saturday? What are some work ons? What back moves should we use?

The list is endless. Yes, there will be times when you make the call, but there should also be plenty of moments where you are a guide serving your players not the strict dictator.

Give it a go. You might find not having to have all the answers makes the coaching role more enjoyable.

Mastery is the piece we all love as coaches. That is helping our players get better at the tech tac aspects of the game. Well designed sessions that will help your players develop. Just to seal the deal you could ask each player what their individual performance goal is and why it’s important.

Keep up the great work. Hope this gives you a few ideas. Let me know if there are any specific questions you’d like answered on the coaching front at aaron.callaghan@orfu.co.nz

Cheers Azza