Otago Rugby Union eNewsletter

Editorial

Good afternoon Otago Rugby supporters.

Keep a close eye on our Social Media accounts this Sunday where we'll be naming the Otago NPC Internal trialists will be named. players will be named in either Gold or Blue and will train in their respective teams on the 24th & 31st May, and 7th June, with the Internal trial taking place on Wednesday 14th June. Good luck men, take your opportunity and give it heaps!!!

Otago Rugby wishes to invite all aspiring Otago U19 Mens Representative players for the 2023 campaign to an open skills and fitness testing night at Logan Park 1, 22nd May at 6pm sharp. Register HERE: https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/234675 More details on the flyer below.

Our mates at Dunedin City Motors are holding their BIGGEST sale in 100 years to celebrate their 100 year anniversary. It’s for 4 days only from Thursday 18th of May until Sunday 21st of May. As an Otago Rugby supporter, they are offering you the opportunity to WIN 1 of 4 $100 fuel vouchers. All you need to do is bring this letter HERE in during the sale period.

We are offering some Junior Girls rugby sessions in Queenstown. The dates will be Wednesday the 24th and 31st of May. We will have girls in Year groups 1-8 but will split the age groups up. The younger year groups will be more focused on ball skills, touch/rip rugby and then the more senior girls we will train in ball skills and introductions into tackle and contact as well. More details below.

The 2023 NPC & FPC Draws are out now! Scroll down to check out our Home Games, or check out the full NPC Draw here and FPC Draw here.

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

ODT Interesting Reads!

This week’s Referee profile is a young man that has taken to refereeing like a duck to water. Jack comes from a great rugby family with his grandfather, Kevin, refereeing test matches for ORRA.

How long did you play rugby for?

I played rugby for 10 years from U8’s to 2nd XV at high school. While I absolutely loved playing the game and this love only strengthened through the years, I put rugby aside to focus on rowing for my senior season at school. This paid off and kept me away from rugby for another five years after this until I came back into the fold through joining ORRA.

What made you come to refereeing?

After taking time away from rugby, major injury occurred twice which meant contact sport wasn’t going to be great for my body. However, with refereeing already being in the family with my late Grandfather having a significant role in the association, it was an easy decision to keep involved in rugby through joining ORRA.

What have you enjoyed the most about refereeing?

Club rugby is a great spectacle to be apart of and being able to take that in, whether as the referee or as an assistant referee, it is repeatedly an awesome thing to be apart of. Off the field the ORRA and wider rugby community across NZ have created friendships and connections that will last a lifetime and it doesn’t get any better than that.

What's your greatest refereeing moment to date?

Being appointed to the Junior Colts Semi final last year would have to top things to date. I was fortunate enough to have a 2:45pm kickoff that day with two Dunedin Colts sides playing each other at home. With all other Dunedin senior teams having played earlier in the day we had packed sidelines. This was just an added bonus to the high quality rugby played that day. It was an awesome occasion to be involved in and be able to give back to the game while being in the best seat in the house made it even better.

What do you want to get out of refereeing for the future?

Definitely can’t deny taking a step towards higher honours would be a goal of mine, in the form of Premier rugby or First Class fixtures. Hopefully by just following my process and taking my opportunities, in whatever form, I will continue to be involved and be able to give back to the game at whatever level.

What would be your advice to someone who's thinking of taking up the whistle

It’s never easy at first finding your feet at what ever grade you start at. Don’t be too critical of yourself in the early stages and just enjoy being apart of the awesome rugby community. The support on and off the field from players, coaches and the referee’s group is unreal and makes it all worthwhile.

Thanks Jack, for helping our game!

OUR Game, OUR Referees.

We are offering some Junior Girls rugby sessions in Queenstown. The dates will be Wednesday the 24th and 31st of May. We will have girls in Year groups 1-8 but will split the age groups up.

Years 1-4 train from 3.30pm until 4.15pm and Years 5-8 train from 4.15pm until 5.00pm. It will be held on Field 4 at Frankton Events Centre.

The younger year groups will be more focused on ball skills, touch/rip rugby and then the more senior girls we will train in ball skills and introductions into tackle and contact as well.

Contact Laura Sadler for more information:

laurasadler.orfu@gmail.com

0279127047

The votes are in! Head to Otago Community Rugby Facebook page to vote on your choice for May's Volunteer of the Month. Voting closes at 12pm, Monday 29th of May.

Debbie Ferguson – Crescent RFC

“I would like to nominate Debbie Ferguson at Crescent RFC. Debbie has worked tirelessly for years for the club behind the bar, on the committee and even cleans the bathrooms, she is always the first to arrive and the last to leave and definitely deserves a treat.”

Corey Ford – Alhambra-Union RFC

“I’d like to Nominate Corey Ford for volunteer of the month. Both himself and his wife are running the Alhambra Union junior club and in their first season in charge they have grown the club considerably. Not only that but Corey is also the coach of the Y7/8 AU Broncos and the AU Metro committee member. All the while he is dealing with a major injury which occurred 2 years ago. Corey is fully deserving of this honour.”

Matthew Aitken - Otago Rugby Referees

“Matty is one of the most recognisably happy faces around the referees group for a few years now. You’ll see him regularly feature in JAB games then championship colts or women’s development. That’s all after backing up doing various games midweek too! After playing rugby as a junior he played football for most of his teenage and early 20s. It was in 2018 when Matty decided to take up refereeing after being involved with the referees group socially. Where there’s a training session, referees meeting or social gathering, Matty will always be there and is one of the real characters of the association. Matty never says no to a game and does his best week in week out so that kids and adults can play rugby in a safe and fun environment. If we had had more people like him the referees group and world would be a better place. Matty is very deserving of volunteer of the month and would be a more than adequate recipient if successful.”

Shakey & Jodi Taylor - Strath Taieri RFC

I would like to nominate Shakey & Jodi Taylor as volunteer(s) of the month. Shakey & Jodi are stalwarts of the Strath Taieri Rugby Club actively involved in both the Junior and Senior Club. Shakey is a the Manager of the Senior team and I’m sure Jodi keeps him just as organised as what she does the Club! Shakey keeps the players organised, keeping them hydrated and cooks the food after Thursday trainings. He also organises the main fundraiser of the year, tailing, which creates great camaraderie and banter. They also organise the rugby club players to do crutching not as a fundraiser for the club but for the local swimming pool club, giving the proceeds made back to the community. With a full time job as a rural delivery driver in the area Jodi drums up great support for the team and clocks up the km’s each week not only doing this but following the Strath Rugby Team. Jodi orders all the uniforms, gear, does first aid when required, collecting subs and being the all-round organiser, along with all the jobs we don’t see! Jodi does an incredible job of cooking the meals after every home game with Strath providing a free meal to all those attending which is awesome. Shakey & Jodi’s commitment to the team and club is huge as they also has 3 young children competing in their own Saturday sports. Strath is a small club but Shakey & Jodi sure do the lions share of the work and are the unsung heroes.

Another fantastic day out at PJ Park on Sunday the 14th of May where the 62nd Annual Taieri Rugby Sevens were held. 65 teams were entered across the grades from Year 3 to Year 8 and competition fun and enjoyment was all on display.

A massive thank you to our team of Match Officials group of 25 plus 5 associate referees from Taieri College who gave up their time to provide a safe and supportive environment for all players, coaches and spectators. Congratulations again to the TRFC Junior Committee and competition working group on another successful tournament.

NZR and Visitor Solutions have released their first findings from insights on the Future of Rugby Clubs Project. This project is a two-year initiative to strengthen community rugby clubs around the country. The Future of Rugby Clubs project will identify the current and preferred future state of the rugby club system in New Zealand and provide a transformational plan for NZR to implement.

Otago Rugby will hold a series of drop-in sessions across the province in May to discuss the data/insights, how do the national findings align in our Otago context. Visitor Solutions will they run a series of clusters in June. If you would like to read the initial findings and roadmap of the project click on the links below. If you have any feedback contact your local club committee member.

Future of Rugby Clubs Road Map

Future of Rugby Clubs Preliminary Insights - Feb 2023