Otago Rugby Union eNewsletter

Editorial

Good afternoon Otago supporters!!!

It’s all ON the line this Saturday for the Bunnings Warehouse Farah Palmer Cup FINAL down in the mighty Big River Town, Balclutha, the home soil to some of our players.

Otago Spirit vs Hawke’s Bay Tui, 12:35pm, Balclutha Showgrounds And it’s FREE entry!

We are pretty pumped about taking the Women’s Final to South Otago country, back to where it all began for a lot of our players including our legend Co-Captain Tegan Hollows. We have full faith our community will get behind our team and pack the stands.

Bunnings NPC Charity round is coming! For potentially the first time in 141 years the Otago men’s representative team will be taking the field not wearing the Golden O… But it's for a great cause! Read more on this below.

The boys are heading North this weekend for what is always an epic battle against Wellington. You can catch the game live on Sky, kick off 2.05pm.

Scroll down for more rugby news and announcements like development opportunities, weekly happenings, rugby courses and more…

ODT Interesting Reads!

Otago Spirit Coach Scott Manson has named his team to take on Hawke’s Bay Tui this Saturday 10 September, 12:35pm at Balclutha Showgrounds in the Farah Palmer Cup Final. This match will be free entry to the public.

The ORFU are really excited about taking the Women’s Final to the country, especially since this is the home ground of several Otago Spirit players, including Co-Captain Tegan Hollows.

Julia Gorinski and Tegan Hollows will lead as co-captains.

Otago Spirit Head Coach Scott Manson said, “We’re really excited about playing the final in Balclutha. The forecast is good for running rugby and it will be awesome to have great community support in South Otago. We have 11 players originating from the country as well as Kane Jury, Ash Barron and myself from Otago Country. What a way to celebrate this by playing the final in Balclutha.”

Once again in 2022, all Farah Palmer Cup games will be broadcast live on Sky Sport and available Free to Air thanks to Bunnings Warehouse and Sky Sport.

For the Love of Club allows you and us to support both the NPC and your local club at no extra cost to you! All you have to do is follow the steps below…

Click here to go to our ticketing page
Click on the game you are looking to attend
Scroll down to find your local clubs unique code
Type the code (this is case sensitive) into the white “for the love of club" box then click on the blue “For the love of club” box to apply the code.
Select “get tickets” and complete the process, your code will now be applied to your order.

For potentially the first time in 141 years the Otago men’s representative team will be taking the field not wearing the Golden O.

In round nine of this year’s Bunnings Warehouse NPC (30th September - 2nd October), all fourteen provincial unions competing will be supporting the Breast Cancer Foundation of New Zealand.

Otago Rugby will be removing all Gold elements of the playing shorts and jersey to then be replaced by pink.

ORFU CEO Richard Kinley said, “The Breast Cancer Foundation of New Zealand supports people when they need it most. For us, this is an opportunity to support them and work they do. I am not aware of when the O has not been gold, making this change reinforces how committed we are to backing them.”

Bunnings Warehouse NPC coach Tom Donnelly added, “The boys love playing with the Golden O on their chest. For the team to give it up, shows how much this cause means to them, they can’t wait to pull on the Pink O for a day.”

After the game, Otago vs Canterbury on Saturday 1st October 7:05pm at Forsyth Barr Stadium, the match day jerseys will be auctioned off via the Trademe platform and profits donated to the Breast Cancer Foundation of New Zealand. Limited edition replica jerseys will also be available on the Otago Rugby website from Monday 5 September, with apparel partner Gilbert Australia/New Zealand donating $10 from every jersey sold to BCFNZ.

The Otago Rugby High Performance programmes are an exciting opportunity for local and domestic talented young rugby athletes to discover a pathway in the game while upskilling themselves on all aspects off and on the field. The programme supports all accepted athletes whether they are studying or in the work force and also offers multiple avenues of support while these athletes take in the demands of possible professional rugby.

The benefits we have at Otago Rugby is the support of Otago University and Otago Polytech with wide range of educational opportunities within a stone's throw of the academy which is based at Forsyth Barr Stadium. The facilities and services that are available are a High-Performance gym facility, access to Bunnings NPC & Farah Palmer Cup coaches & staff, medical personnel, Sportscode video review facilities and also the pathway opportunity with the Highlanders.

While at the academy all athletes will be guided on their personal development through the six pillars of NZ Rugby; technical, tactical, physical, nutrition, mental skills, personal life skills, and will be assisted by multiple qualified staff within Otago Rugby.

In 2023, Otago High Performance department wishes to guarantee a place for a male and female player in the Men's Academy & Women's HP Groups respectively for country based players. Please note these players must be Year 13 to apply for a 2023 place.

All enquiries to Otago High Performance Development Manager:

Ryan Bambry - ryan.bambry@orfu.co.nz

Application form link: https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/199074