Otago Rugby Union eNewsletter

Editorial

Good afternoon Otago supporters & welcome to our weekly newsletter

The Bunnings NPC and FPC draws were released this week! Check out the poster below and mark these dates on your calendars folks, you’ll be putting on your blue and gold before you know it!!! Keep an eye on our future newsletters and social pages for all things NPC & FPC.

New Zealand Rugby announced the exciting news this week that Dunedin will be hosting an All Blacks vs Fiji test match as part of the Steinlager Series on Saturday 10 July at Forsyth Barr Stadium. If that wasn't exciting enough NZR announced today Dunedin will be hosting a second Test match against South Africa on Saturday 25 September. This will be an extra special occasion – it will be the 100th Test match between the two famous foes, played in the 100th year anniversary of New Zealand and South Africa’s rich rugby history, in the same city as that first ever Test. (Played at Carisbrook on 13 August 1921, the All Blacks won 13-5). It's been quite some time since we've seen the boys in black grace our paddock under the roof and we can't wait to remind them why the Otago supporters are the absolute best!!!

In other news, it's on!!! Central Lakes vs Central Counties - The Central competition takes a break for a week as the Central Counties take on Central Lakes at the Omakau Domain. Kick off at 2.30 pm. ‘Central Otago Rugby’ Facebook page will be live streaming it. Check out the full preview for this match below!

We caught up with South Otago local Good Sort Nigel McLachlan last month over the course of Clutha Valley Rugby Football Club’s Centennial weekend (April 3rd 2021). It was an honour to be there for the special event itself, and to acknowledge the work & service that Nigel does for his club and the Southern Region competition as a regular referee every week. If you're interested in taking up the whistle like Nigel, get in touch with the Otago Rugby Referees Association- Inc Facebook page. To watch the Good Sorts Episode 1 on Facebook click here

Otago NPC player’s Vilimoni Koroi will represent New Zealand in the All Blacks 7s side this weekend as they take on Australia in preparation to the 2021 Olympics in Japan. All matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sport NZ beginning Friday 21-Sunday 23 May. Best of luck Vils!

On Thursday 20th May Otago Rugby hosted a Metro Rippa day at the artificial turf. The weather played its part, with clear blue skies all day! We had 38 teams from our Dunedin primary schools participating in the event. Teams were combined from years 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8. There were some amazing displays of rugby out there, spirits were high and it was just awesome to see everyone out there having a whole lot of fun! A massive thank you to the Otago polytechnic students who refereed along with our ORFU staff members giving back to the game. Check out some pictures from a rippa day of Rippa Rugby below.

Our Website has had a makeover and we couldn't be happier about it! Go check it out for yourself, for all things Otago Rugby click here.

Interesting Reads from Otago Daily Times:

This week our referee, Tyler Spence is from the great town of Alexandra. It’s a special year for Tyler as he reaches his 10th year servicing our game, so we are very thankful for Tyler and his efforts throughout this time. Tyler is a great contributor in our central region and brings an energetic and positive approach to our training and development sessions and is just a top person in our rugby community. This weekend he is in the middle for the Dunstan vs Wakatipu game at Dunstan High School, kicking off at 11.15am. Get along, support him and support rugby. OUR Game, OUR Referees.

Central Counties v Central Lakes

Saturday 22 May, Omakau, Kick Off: 2.30pm

The club competition takes a break this week in Central Otago as the region is split in two and a new rivalry is formed, Central Lakes v Central Counties. In the past the region was divided into Maniototo and Vincent but with a huge population swing to the Lakes, the lines are now essentially QLDC (Queenstown Lakes District Council and CODC (Central Otago District Council). More of a town v country.

Both sides look evenly matched so this should be a great spectacle and a good gauge for selectors when picking the Central Otago side to play Southern for the Topp Cup on 5 June. The match is to be played at Matakanui’s home domain which should be packed for this encounter.

Both forward packs are big with Counties boosting some burly Maniototo boys and Lakes fielding the two mobile Upper Clutha locks; Carter and Garrick. It will be interesting to see how Lakes, loose forward, Nemo Gent, if fit, handles the step up. Other loose forwards to watch will be Sam Calder, Lakes, up against Hurring and McLelland for Counties. Another interesting match up will be the 9/10 combinations. Counties with the experienced Cromwell combination of Maxwell and Harrold against the inform Upper Clutha pair of Kingan and Flannery. Ruben Peina, Wakatipu, has been in great form in the middle field, he will be looking to set up his outside backs, the likes of the exciting, Henry Schikker. The Counties outside backs will face a stern test on Saturday, none more so than try scoring machine Doug Smith.

It is great to see both sides being supported by Ex All Blacks. Simon Maling along with Paul Mavor will coach the Lakes side while Andrew Hore is joined by Willie Miller and Bevan Passmore, coaching Counties. This adds another layer of interest as the next generation gains valuable insights into the next level of rugby. This match will be an enthralling encounter, not to be missed.

Metro Match of the Round - Green Island vs Southern

It’s all go this weekend at Miller Park as Green Island play host to Southern for the Selwyn Inglis Memorial Trophy. These two sides have played some absolute classics over the years and this Saturday shapes up to be no different with some talented combinations riddled across the paddock. Green Island had a great start to their Gallaway Trophy campaign with a win over the AU Broncos at the North Ground while Southern had a week off to rest so will be heading into this one refreshed and energized. Green Island welcome the experienced Josh Clark back into the fold from injury while Southern also have a notable inclusion in the form of the titanic Mika Mafi at 6. The battle of the back three will excite many viewers as Manson, Fomai & Te Hiwi will look to take on Apineru, Buchan and Samate with some silky finishes out wide. Timoci Tavatavanawai has been seriously impressive for Southern in his two Premier outings thus far and will look to continue that run of form against a very talented Grizzlies midfield in the form of Raymond Nu’u and Levi Harmom. This has all the makings of a buzzer beater finish so head along to Miller Park for your Saturday afternoon footy fix!

Women's Match of the Round - Pirates vs Alhambra-Union

Alhambra-Union will be traveling out to Hancock Park to take on the Pirates Wahine. This will be an important game for both sides as they play off for the Nielsen/McKenzie Cup. The cup is named after Margaret McKenzie (Pirates) and Jacinta Nielsen (Alhambra). Both women have represented Otago Spirit and the Black Ferns. Pirates are the current holders and have had a tight grip on the cup for the past few seasons. The Crazy Horses will be hopeful of taking the cup home for the first time. Pirates will be looking forward to hosting the Crazy Horses at home. When these two sides clashed at the start of the season Alhambra-Union took home the win. Pirates will be keen to resolve that and get the W on home soil. This will be a highly physical match with both teams having solid forward packs and destructive midfielders.

Alhambra-Union shouldn't take pirates lightly this weekend as Pirates have a different team to who they faced in the first round. This week will see the return of young prop Tia Clark. This season she has been very dominant with the ball in hand and she will be making her return to the game known. Kelsie Wills had an outstanding debut for the Crazy Horses. She has a great off load game which is great for the speedy Alhambra-Union pack. Her presence on the field will be welcomed after a weekend away for Black Ferns camp. Alhambra-Union have been playing very dynamic footy this season stretching teams all over the park.

Pirates Wahine have come into their stride in the last few weeks. Having tight wins over University and Big River Country. The Pirates back line will be absolute class this weekend as former Black Fern Vic Subritzky-Nafatali has made her way back to the Pirates side in recent weeks. She is dominant in attack and defence, always taking control of the game. Gemma Millar will be looking forward to some extended minutes on the field as she comes back from injury. The Pirates midfield will cause havoc for the Crazy Horses if they are given half the chance.

Round 8 Snapshot

Crescent vs Clinton

Two trophies are on the line as Crescent look to climb further up the table against Clinton who are languishing in the depths. Clinton had the bye last week which will allow them to come in refreshed and ready for action. Crescent snuck home against Toko in what was a physical encounter which will have left some sore bodies. This will be a competitive clash but the home side will be favourites to retain both the McIntosh Cup and the Ian Reid Memorial at Kaitangata.

Roxburgh vs Clutha Valley

Roxburgh are dwelling in the cellar of the table at this point in time with no wins from seven rounds. Roxburgh are also coming off a big loss to Clutha last weekend in another match which their basics let them down. It doesn’t get any easier for the Roosters this weekend as they welcome unbeaten Clutha Valley to town in their local derby of sorts. Roxburgh will have a full complement of cattle to choose from and will be fired up for the battle. Valley may use this opportunity to rest and rotate players but will still be very strong favourites to win this one.

Heriot vs Clutha

This shapes up to be the match of the round at Death Valley as Heriot welcome Clutha to town. Heriot sit in third place on the table with a sizeable gap over Clutha who are in fourth spot. Heriot were desperately unlucky to lose to West Taieri in the final minute last weekend but will have taken plenty from this match. Clutha were far too strong for Roxburgh and managed to give players plenty of game time and strengthen combinations. Heriot have the bye next week so this is their last time to get points in the first round. They will be favourites.

Owaka vs Toko

It’s Club Day at Swamp Hen Park as Owaka host Toko in what will be a fiercely contested match. The Swamp Hens close loss to Valley last weekend saw them drop from fourth position to sixth, six points ahead of Toko in seventh. Owaka played well against the unbeaten Condors away which will have carried on their confidence after three unbeaten weeks in a row. Toko put in the hard yards against Crescent with only a sloppy ten-minute period in the first half the difference between the two teams. The Reg Phillip Trophy rests in Toko’s hands at the moment, the Milton lads may go in as slight underdogs.

Is My Ten-Year-Old Talented? Yes? No? Maybe?

I think we would all agree the sporting environment has changed dramatically in the last twenty years.

An obvious shift in rugby is the advent of professional rugby, this was a seismic shift in the status quo.

When we change the system i.e. you get paid to play, we will see a change in behaviour.

When looking at global sports one of the concerning trends is the amount of pressure being placed on athletes at a young age.

For many, stories of the Williams sisters in tennis or Tiger Woods in golf have fuelled this belief that early specialisation in their chosen sport is the way to success. Football Academies in Europe will contract players as young as 8 or 9.

The sales pitch is easy… Money, fame and glory.

The potential cost or consequences of these performance environments at a young age is not so readily discussed. We are not there yet in rugby and personally I hope we never get there. But we can see a trend towards training load expectations getting younger and younger.

On more than one occasion I have been approached by a parent or coach and told to watch player A. “They’re going to play for Otago and the All Blacks” I hope that is the case but at ten years of age there is a lot of things that could happen between now and pulling on the mighty O.

High aspirations should always be supported. If the player wants to do extra training sessions and talk about how they can get better, awesome! If it is the coach or parent driving those things, then maybe we should chat.

Talent identification is a very complex beast. Some say it is a science some would say it is luck.

You just need to look at the millions of dollars spent in this space for American Football. The amount of data on college athletes is mind blowing. Every play analysed, multiple physical assessments, psyche testing you name it they do it. Even then the ratio of players that get contracted and end up having meaningful careers is minimal.

So many variables can influence the performance of a Small Black player giving the illusion of natural talent.

Differing cognitive and physical development is obvious. But what about things that are not so obvious that can influence perceived talent. Things like when the players birthday falls during the year relative to season cut of dates. Or a parent that spends time playing catch and pass, wrestling and serves as a tackling dummy. A sister or brother that also shares the love of rugby and is keen to practice.

As a coach we should also be mindful that some of our “talented players” strengths can become their weaknesses as they progress. The fast player that does not develop their passing ability because they can run around the opposition. Or the big player that dominates because of physical size that two seasons later is found out because of their lack of body position on contact once everyone catches up.

From a coaching point of view, we should endeavour to understand where each player is at and then take them on a journey of self-exploration.

Learning does not happen in a straight line. The player that was making up the numbers last season might be your star player this season.

A good coaching philosophy could be to imagine each of your players has the potential to be an All Black or Black Fern. Would that change how you treat some players?

Let me know if there are any specific questions you’d like answered on the coaching front at aaron.callaghan@orfu.co.nz

Keep up the great work!!!

Cheers, Azza

Dear Member,

The staff of the Otago Rugby Football Union (ORFU) recently developed the below mātāpono (values) to support the purpose of the organisation. These values represent the standard which they expect from one another and in their interactions with our community. Now that the club and school rugby season is well underway, and we gather as a rugby community on side-lines and in clubrooms around the region, it’s a great opportunity for us all to consider the expectations and values that we seek to uphold and demonstrate. Unfortunately, the ORFU has received a number of complaints regarding incidents that have occurred in clubrooms this season that are not consistent with our purpose and values or New Zealand Rugby’s ‘The Rugby Way’. As a reminder, ‘The Rugby Way’ is about striving to provide a welcoming and supportive environment that is inclusive of all people. If you haven’t already, it’s the perfect time to consider your own environments, on and off the field, to ensure they are safe and welcoming and that everyone has the opportunity to be involved, supported and respected. The ORFU believe this to be fundamental to growing rugby across our province. Rugby can’t happen without participants or volunteers, like you, but we need to support and encourage their involvement consistently across the region to assist our game. Should you require any advice or assistance at your club, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of the ORFU Community rugby team. On behalf of the Board and staff at ORFU we thank you for all that you do. All the best for the remainder of the season! 

Ngā mihi

Rowena Davenport

Chairperson – Otago Rugby

The Otago Rugby Union is acting as an ambassador for Veo. We are using the camera's for developing our representative players and match officials as well as allowing our clubs and schools to borrow the camera's. If a club or a school likes the camera, they can then contact Veo direct and make a purchase of the hardware and a monthly licence to use their software. As a partnership, the Otago Rugby Union receives a small fee, and the club or school receives a discount on the recommended retail price.

For more information about Veo and their camera, click here.

Or, if you would like to book a call from the Veo experts, click here.

HOW DOES MY CLUB OR SCHOOL BOOK A CAMERA?

Email Paul Thompson: paul.thompson@orfu.co.nz

Match Day Programme - Metro, Central & Southern Region

Secondary Schools First XV Match Day Programme