Otago Rugby Union eNewsletter

Editorial

Secondary Schools Competitions got underway this week!

Secondary school girls in the Central Region kicked off on Wednesday night 8th May, while the Metro girls kick off next Wednesday night on the 15th May. All secondary schools boys teams kick off this tomorrow 11th May! To follow your team and to stay up to date with the draw and live scores, head to our 'Draws & Results page here: https://bit.ly/3AI1x5J

We have our first Winner for the Cobb & Co Volunteer of the Month. Scroll down below to check out the champ! A massive thank you to all nominees, we are so grateful to have you showing up throughout Otago for the love of the game! If you have a volunteer you think deserves recognition make sure you submit a nomination for the Month of May.

A massive good luck to Maia Joseph who will be playing her DEBUT for the Black Ferns this Saturday 11th May, 2:05pm kick off in Hamilton against USA! And to top it off… Maia will become a dual international (Rugby and Touch Rugby) when she takes the field. Go well Maia!!!

Otago Rugby is reaching out to individuals across the region to help shape our game, specifically focusing on Women & Girls and Teenage Rugby. These advisory groups will convene either online or in person four times throughout 2024. If you're passionate about helping develop the game scroll down below for more info!

2024 Season Memberships are now ONSALE!!! In 2024 all members will receive a $10 voucher per membership to shout themselves some food or a bevy on us! Plus the opportunity to secure seats to the ABs v England Test Match if you lock in your Membership by the 31 May! To sign up you can find our Membership Sign Up Form and information booklet HERE

The 2024 NPC & FPC Draws are out! Scroll down to check out our Games, or check out the full Draws here… FULL NPC DRAW, FULL FPC DRAW.

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

ODT Interesting Reads!

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH WINNER Sponsored by Cobb & Co. Dunedin.

Cam Burrow – Dunedin RFC

“Cam has put his hand to multiple roles already in the 2024 community rugby season. He is the current Chair of Dunedin RFC, the coach of the Sharks Ururoa Premier women's team and is a member of the MCRC match committee. Not only has he helped his club but also our match officials refereeing twice on the same day after one of the referees fell injured during a match.”

Congratulations Cam, you have scored yourself a $100 Cobb & Co. Dunedin meal voucher!

All other nominees, John Caswell, Karla Wilson and Fiona Wilkinson have scored themselves a $50 Cobb & Co meal voucher.

All finalists for each Volunteer of the Month this year will be invited to a special volunteer thank you event ahead of the All Blacks vs England test match in July 2024!

Thank you to all our volunteers for the work that you do for our rugby community week in, week out. We couldn't do it without you all.

On Monday night we ran the first Rugby Redefined course in Otago.

The course was aimed at upskilling our wahine as associate referees and provided a deeper look into the laws of the game.

This fantastic group of women brought a lot of knowledge and experience to the room and are great role models for young women.

If you or anyone you know would like to become an associate referee then please get in contact with Brandon at Otago rugby to get involved and give back to the game we all love.

Brandon.hale@orfu.co.nz

20 Otago Representative Team Managers joined in-person and online for the first of four Team Manager collaboration series.
The purpose is to;

Informally connect with all Otago Representative team managers throughout the rugby season
Understand role competencies and share experiences across wider rugby system
Create a network of support
Grow confidence and capability with our people

The first session we were fortunate to be joined by All Blacks Team Manager Paul 'Moose' McLaughlan with the focus being on a discussion on critical communication and the importance of relationships.

On Monday 6th of May our Primary and Secondary School Girls had their second development day with Women and Girls Game Development Lead Aria Monaghan under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium. We had three different sessions: Metro Girls Year 5 - 8, Metro Girls Year 9 - 10 and Metro Girls Year 11 - 13

With over 100 girls in attendance it was an awesome opportunity for the girls to develop their skills and game in a pretty special environment. It was a lot of fun and we wish them all the best for the season ahead.