OTAGO TEAM NAMED TO PLAY CANTERBURY IN ROUND 9
Otago Head Coach Tom Donnelly has named his side to play against Canterbury in the nineth round of the Bunnings Warehouse NPC this Saturday 1st October, 7:05pm at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.
Christian Lio-Willie and Tau Koloamatangi will be playing their 15th Blazer game this Saturday. We also welcome back Jona Nareki and Raymond Nu’u from injury and Brady Robertson who has completed his return to play protocols. James Lentjes will lead as Captain.
For potentially the first time in 141 years the Otago men’s representative team will be taking the field not wearing the Golden O. For this match, Otago Rugby will be removing the Gold elements of the playing shorts and jersey and replacing it with pink.
Captain James Lentjes has been personally impacted through his mother’s breast cancer journey. He said: “My Mum felt a lump and so happened to be booked in for a check-up not long after, and we were lucky they were able to catch it early. Without that scan they wouldn’t have found it when they did. It’s one of those things that you think will never happen to your family. It can sneak up on anyone.”
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.”
Following this weekend, 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 are now also available on the Otago Rugby website, with apparel partner Gilbert Australia/New Zealand donating $10 from every jersey sold to BCFNZ.
Just a reminder that the ORFU are implementing the ticketing initiative again this year called ‘For the Love of Club’ that aims to return money directly to Clubs and Referees within the Otago province through allocating funds from every ticket sold online to an Otago NPC/FPC home game. People who purchase online either an Otago Rugby Season Membership or a Match Day ticket will be able to nominate which of Otago’s 33 Clubs or Otago Rugby Referees Association (ORRA) they wish to support. For more information, or to buy tickets please check out the ORFU website www.orfu.co.nz or the Otago Rugby Facebook page.
In 2022, the ORFU will also be releasing Otago Rugby Player Trading Cards. These cards are only available at Otago home games this season.
For any further comments, please contact Richard Kinley, CEO, Otago Rugby Football Union, 021 229 9809.
Otago vs Canterbury– Sat 1 October - 7:05pm – Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.
- ABRAHAM POLE
- HENRY BELL
- JERMAINE AINSLEY
- FABIAN HOLLAND
- WILL TUCKER
- OLIVER HAIG
- JAMES LENTJES ©
- CHRISTIAN LIO-WILLIE – 15th Blazer Game
- KEMARA HAUITI-PARAPARA
- CAMERON MILLAR
- JONA NAREKI
- JOSH IOANE
- JOSH TIMU
- FREEDOM VAHAAKOLO
- SAM GILBERT
16. BRADY ROBERTSON
17. TAU KOLOAMATANGI – 15th Blazer Game
18. JOSH HOHNECK
19. JOSH DICKSON
20. SEAN WITHY
21. KIERAN MCCLEA
22. RAYMOND NU’U
23. MITCHELL SCOTT
*Debut
Players unavailable for selection due to injury: Nathan Hastie, Ricky Jackson, Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Jake Te Hiwi, Jack Leslie.
2022 COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Tom Donnelly
Assistant Coaches: Ryan Bambry, Riki Flutey, Jamie Mackintosh & Ben Smith
S & C Coaches: Ian Blake & Ed Lea
Physio: Thomas Wardhaugh
Manager: Simon Wallace
Assistant Manager: Hayden Finch
Doctor: Andrew Haren
Nutritionist: Hanna Zouggari
Player Development Manager: Amanda Slade
Performance Analyst: Spencer Byers
Article added: Friday 30 September 2022
