Otago Rugby Union eNewsletter

Editorial

Good afternoon Otago supporters & welcome to our weekly newsletter

Congratulations to Phil Keighley who played his 300th Premier game for the Clutha Steamers vs West Taieri last Saturday at Outram. Congratulations to Phil and his family. That is a massive achievement and highlights his dedication to not only rugby but to his Clutha club. The final score of the game was 29-20 to West Taieri. To watch the video interview between Otago Community Rugby Manager Richard Perkins and Phil, check out our Otago Community Rugby Facebook page

A great day was had at Miller Park last weekend. The Green Island Rugby Football Club were celebrating 100 years of rugby at their HQ Miller Park. The club's Heritage day has been a roaring success with the clubs Premier team picking up the silverware by defeating Kaikorai 35-12. Just to add to this occasion was Ben Smith being presented with his 50th and Blazer game for his club. Congratulations to the club and Bender. Community Rugby at its very best with a packed clubrooms. Up the Grizzlies.

We're pretty excited about the All Blacks debut for signed Otago prop George Bower this weekend. Bower has been named from the bench for the ABs side who are set to play Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, on Saturday at 7:05pm. This is the first match of the Steinlager Series. Go well George!!!

The All Blacks are coming to town & we are giving you a chance to register a school for a chance to play with the All Blacks in the rapid rippa rugby tournament. MUST REGISTER via the link below BEFORE Tuesday July 6th. This is for (years 3/4 & 5/6) ONLY CLICK HERE Don't forget you can still purchase your tickets for the All Blacks vs Fiji game on the 10th of July HERE

Season Memberships are now on sale! Membership forms can be located on our website here. If you wish to renew your membership or sign up for the first time you have until 5 August to lock in your seat.

We have been delighted to see the response to our "For the Love of Club" initiative! Otago supporters can purchase tickets to all 5 Otago home games now on Ticketek. When purchasing be sure to enter the promo code for your club or the Otago Referees Association. A list of all clubs and referees promo codes can be found at the bottom of the page here see more on how much will be contributed and how to make your purchase 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:

Preliminary Finals

Goats v Bulls

The preliminary finals are a repeat of our matches two weeks ago, Goats v Bulls and Wolves v Rams.

These sides know each other well, they are clearly the best four sides in the competition by some margin and deserve their place in the semi’s. So will the home teams have an advantage? According to Goats coach Matt Brierley, playing at home is a real advantage. They talked about being in a position to play the final rounds at home in front of a large supportive crowds. Not losing a game all season has given them that right and it’s hard to see anything changing this weekend. They have a good all round game. They have a solid set piece and are clinical on attack and defend. The Goats like to play the game at pace and look like a side that play for each other.

The Bulls won’t lack for commitment and passion as was seen when these two sides last met. They love to hold the ball for long periods of time and build momentum. If they produce quick ball they become dangerous as was evident in the first twenty minute of their last clash with the Goats. Both sides are missing key players following a sending off two weeks ago. Travis Mitchell’s, lineout dominance will be missed by the Goats, while the Bulls will miss the impact of Price Imlach at prop.

Wolves v Rams

The Rams travel over the hill to play the Wolves once more. Home advantage may not be such a big issue in Queenstown as spectators’ numbers were sparse two weeks ago when these two side last meet. A fresh dump of snow may see those numbers reduced further. The Rams are definitely capable of an upset if they can put together a complete performance. The ground will be heavy and both sides will try and turn this to their advantage. For the Rams it will be about moving the ball around and not letting the larger pack settle. Skill level and decision making will be key if the Rams are to pull this one off.

The Wolves showed real glimpses of dominance in their last encounter with the Rams. Their maul and scrum will be crucial weapons on what will surely be a damp surface. Their midfield is another key element to watch out for. Look for the Wolves to play field position and the Rams to counterattack. As always in finals footy, discipline is key, the last time these two side met, the Wolves were well in control before ill discipline allowed the Rams back into the game.

Metro Match of the Round - University vs Southern

As soon as the season draw is distributed both sides chalk this one in their calendar as the match of the season, the V. G. Cavanagh is one of the most sought after trophies behind the banner for our two most successful clubs. The current holders Southern will be doing all they can to keep the trophy in their cabinet over summer but it will take a big performance to knock over the youthful students. They are only seperate by 1 competition point so this will have finals intensity about it! For the bookworms they will lean on Hill and Lea up front as the most experienced of their pack and after 20 minutes off the bench last week Thomas Umaga-Jensen starts at 12. TUJ is a powerful yet rapid midfielder who will be looking to get minutes and confidence under the belt before the NPC season. The Magpies will be buoyed by returning Josh Buchan who sat out their narrow win vs Harbour last week he’s in a rich vein or form and dangerous if given any space. As many supporters will attest if you win the contest up front you go on to win it’s sometimes that simple. Mafi, Mata’afa and Boyle-Tiatia will be up for that fight.

Round 11 Snapshot

Clinton vs Crescent

Clinton and Crescent battle it out for the Ian Reid Memorial at Clinton this weekend, but for Crescent, their finals chances are on a knife edge. Crescent have been a regular feature in the post-season since 2016 and are close to not featuring this season. Their loss to Heriot last weekend all-but ended their chances with Heriot only needing to beat Roxburgh to spell the end of Crescent’s top four hopes. Crescent can only attack what’s in front of them and they face a dogged Clinton outfit who showed some great tenacity in their loss to Valley last weekend. Crescent will be favourites to take the points, but Clinton may fancy themselves, especially up front. A big congratulations to Crescent coach Naylor Edwards who brings up his 100th game in charge of his side.

Heriot vs Roxburgh

After last weekend’s important win at Kaitangata, Heriot is now a master of its own destiny. A win against Roxburgh will not only lock up the West Otago Shield for the year but give them a guaranteed semi-final berth with one round remaining. Determination and physicality got Heriot over the line last weekend, and they will be wanting to keep the ball rolling up against a Roxburgh side coming off a bye and languishing at the bottom of the table. Roxburgh still have a chance to finish inside the top eight but need to accumulate more points than Clinton over the next two weeks. Heriot will want to win and gain five points from this match, and I would expect them to do so.

Owaka vs Clutha Valley

The Bryan Price Trophy is back on the line in Owaka as the minor-premiers Clutha Valley take on Owaka. Valley’s win over Clinton last weekend gave them an unassailable lead at the top of the rankings with two weeks left. They were made to work hard by Clinton but will feel happy enough by giving a fair amount of fringe players a workout. They may get another chance to do that again this weekend with a big game against Heriot the following week. Owaka were beaten at the death once again by Toko last weekend which leaves an ever-so familiar taste in their mouth. Owaka played their best game of the season to date in round one against Valley so it will be a tight battle on the pristine, Forsyth Barr like field at Owaka.

Toko vs West Taieri

Toko were jubilant at full time last weekend as they came from behind to beat Owaka for the second time this season. Toko’s impact off the bench was evident as they steamrolled Owaka in the final ten minutes to take a well-earned win. Toko still sit in seventh, one point behind Owaka and are, at this stage travelling to Owaka once more in the bottom four semi-final. West Taieri were far superior in the first half against Clutha last weekend before throwing a sizeable lead away in the second half. Wests did hold on for the win and the much-needed bonus point. West Taieri sit in second just one point ahead of third so need to keep accumulating points to host a top four semi-final.

Change "This" Win More Games

Is it a new tackle technique?

Is it a new attack structure?

Is it a new running program that makes all our players fitter?

No.

It's how we give feedback.

What is feedback?

In very simple terms a player or group of players tries something and you tell them how they did. How feedback is given and received will help shape and reflect your culture.

I know, I know this is not as sexy or as exciting as that new drill, but I guarantee that if you focus on this one aspect it will shift performance in the right direction.

As coaches we are often looking for faults to help improve performance, which can often give a negative bias to conversations.

As a bit of a side note, for any relationship to be deemed positive (yes, I mean your significant other) research shows that you need 5 positive comments for every 1 negative.

Apply this in a coaching context and you can start to see potential problems.

That does not mean all we have to do is rain down praise for success. Unfortunately, if we throw around words like great, well done and awesome without context they too add no value and just become noise in the background.

The scary thing is we often give feedback without much thought...

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

PLAYER SIGNING ANNOUNCEMENT

Josh Hohneck - Prop Eastern Rugby club Sef Fa'agase - Prop Kaikorai 'Demons' Rugby Ray Nu'u - Midfield...

Our referee feature this week is one of community rugby’s good sorts, Colin Calteaux. Colin originally from the Taranaki region moved down south many years ago and has been a big part of the rugby community in South Otago. Colin owns and run’s his own civil construction company during the week, and his work site is where our southern region referees have had as their base for referee meetings for many years. Colin’s contributions as a referee, referee coach and as an exec member of the ORRA have been instrumental in ensuring the game we love is serviced each week. This weekend you can catch Colin out in the team of three involved in the Toko vs West Taieri Prem match in Milton at 3pm. OUR Game, OUR Referees

ALL BLACKS COMPETITION FOR COACHES IN OTAGO

The All Blacks are in town next week for the test match against Fiji on Saturday 10 th July. NZR have put together a...

PHIL KEIGHLEY - 300 PREMIER GAMES FOR CLUTHA STEAMERS

Phil Keighley played his 300th Premier game for the Clutha Steamers vs West Taieri last Saturday at Outram....

Match Day Programme - Metro, Central & Southern Region

Secondary Schools First XV Match Day Programme