Otago Rugby Union eNewsletter

Editorial

Good afternoon Otago supporters & welcome to our weekly newsletter

It's game day! Come support the boys at our first preseason match against the Southland Stags this afternoon, 2:05pm at Eastern RFC in Waikouaiti. Perfect game for the kids to come along to & support the boys during the school holidays. See you soon Rugby Southland!

Get behind our ladies! Don't miss the clash between our Spirit Girls and Auckland in their first home game this Sunday 25th of July 12:05pm at the Uni Oval. Free entry!

It's Finals week for our Southern Region, be sure to get down to the pitch to cheer your boys on as they battle it out for the top spot!

We are moving into our final weeks for Season Memberships! 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!

Interesting Reads from Otago Daily Times:

Semi Finals

Green Island vs Kaikorai

In a rematch of the Speights Jug Final, Green Island and Kaikorai will do battle in the SF 1 as top qualifier the Grizzlies have earned the right to host the highest ranked loser Kaikorai from last week’s 1/4s. There will be new faces in key positions for both teams from the last time they met where GI ran away with that fixture 35-12. GI’s favourite son Ben Smith played his 20th match that weekend however he won’t be sighted nor will influential Nel, Nu’u and Arscott who almost single-handedly won the QF last week coming off the bench to storm home vs Southern. They will still put out a formable side and the Te Hiwi brothers will link up again and can light up any opposition. Up front they’ll lean on the experience of Josh Clark who has been in pressure knock-out footy before something not many of his team mates will have yet experienced. Kaikorai on the other hand will be happy to get another life after last week’s lost to Taieri however you can never sleep on a Demons side. If Ben Miller plays on top of the GI pack then special things can happen and Russ and Finch are rangy out on the edge. Some could call this the battle of the ex OBHS 1st XV as there is double-digit numbers of old boys across both teams something the school will be proud of. Too close to call but for the faithful GI supporters they’ll be well behind their team to see them head to their first final appearance since titles in the 70s and it would be well earned.

University vs Taieri

Well, here we go again…. it’s Semi Finals time and an absolute blockbusting clash awaits us at the University of Otago Oval this weekend as University A play host to the Taieri Eels for a spot in the big dance next Saturday under the glasshouse. This match is a repeat of the 2020 final where Taieri took the banner back to PJ Park with an emphatic 40-26 victory over the students on the back of a very impressive Gallaway Trophy season from the Mosgielians. Taieri have kept a majority of their 2020 championship winning side together this year and that will prove critical in the big pressure cooker moments this weekend. For the University side they have played some very eye catching rugby all season thanks to some of their rising stars out wide in the form of Rance & Pepe who have been vital cogs in ensuring the Bookies a top 4 spot, Skipper Kieran McClea has hit some great form and will always be looking to keep the Eels napping as he has done to many oppositions this season. The battle of the loose forwards will excite many punters as the gritty Eels trio of Hutton, Ferguson and Henderson take on the youthful Varsity trio of Perelini, Magalogo and Russell. There are plenty of top vantage points at the University Oval to watch this fixture so head on down with the picnic and fizzy drinks and watch the fireworks unfold.

Finals

Clutha Valley vs West Taieri

It all comes down to this. A repeat of last years’ final between the two most deserving sides yet again. Clutha Valley earned the right to host the final after going through the season unbeaten and showing their class against Heriot last weekend in the semi-final. Valley held onto the ball for the majority of the match and didn’t give Heriot an inch on defence. West Taieri were exact opposites in their semi-final against Clutha. Wests had to dig deep on defence and make the most of the few chances they were given, which they did. Revenge will be deeply ingrained in Valley’s mind after last years final where they were very unlucky not to walk away with the win. They will come into this match as favourites after beating West Taieri twice this season. Don’t count the Pigs out, however.

Crescent vs Toko

The match that no-one really enjoys playing. The bridesmaid event, the bottom four final is being held at Kaitangata this year due to the heavy under foot conditions at Valley. Crescent earned the right to host after finishing top qualifier in the bottom four courtesy of their dominating performance against Clinton last weekend. Crescent has a chip on their shoulder and are very frustrated that they were not able to qualify in the top bracket. Toko have carried on their merry way, walking over Owaka last weekend into what will be a far sterner test of their ability and character. Crescent will be strong favourites and I can’t see any other result happening than a Crescent win.

Know Thy Athlete

Back in the olden days when I was playing rugby, life as a coach was easy. It was a very top-down approach. The coach would say do something and you did it.

As coaches I am sure you would agree things have changed somewhat, now the big push is to a more athlete centred model. The driver for this has been a realisation that a more athlete centred model is important for engagement, motivation and performance.

This tends to be a common theme across successful coaches at all levels. This will be at the heart of their coaching philosophy.

What does athlete centred coaching look like?

In broad terms it means taking a more holistic approach towards your players. We see them as people first and players second, not just robots on the field who will catch pass and tackle.

Coaches, we are in the people business. Yes, the tactical and technical pieces are important and often areas we are passionate about but first and foremost, we need to build relationships.

Two key ingredients for building authentic relationships are respect and trust. Nail an environment that is built on these two pillars and you are a long way towards building real connection.

You are the guide by the side, not the sage on the stage. The relationship is a partnership not an autocratic dictatorship like days of old, invite your players into the decision-making process, ask questions and listen.

Another great tool that you can use to start the process of becoming a more athlete centred coach is to build a profile on each player.

Here are few ideas:

What interests do they have outside of rugby?
What life stressors outside of rugby are they facing?
How do the like getting feedback?
What is their learning style?
What is their game knowledge / understanding like?
Physical strengths and work ons
Technical strengths and work ons
Tactical strengths and work ons
Mental skills

As a coach this list will be very personalised around those rocks that you deem to be the most important, it is a live document that should be tweaked as your relationship grows over time.

From there, check in with your own behaviours.

Do you treat your players the same when they’re playing well and when they’re not?
Do you spend an even amount of time with all players?
Are you supporting all players to achieve their potential?
Do you care for your players as people first?

If you really want to get into the nitty gritty you could even look at your own personal values and ask the question, what does success look like for you as a coach? Traditionally that is all wrapped around wins and losses, which can drive certain behaviours.

How about if success looked like developing the whole person? Would that change your approach?

As coaches we need 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

We had an action packed afternoon at the McMillian hockey turf yesterday for the annual Aotea Skills Day. It was a real pleasure to be able to create a 4-skill rotation station set up with our 2021 Otago squad leading the cutter.

We were stoked with the decent sized turnout and it was nicely timed with it being during school holidays too. We hope all kids who participated learnt something new and enjoyed their chance to hang out with our boys. We know that they had a ball putting smiles on faces.

Thanks to our sponsor Aotea Electric for providing and operating the all important sausage sizzle. The kids definitely worked up an appetite.

Match Day Programme - Metro, Central & Southern Region

Secondary Schools First XV Match Day Programme