OTAGO PREMIER FIRST XV CHAMPIONSHIP
JOHNNY BE GOOD
Defending champions John McGlashan College are seen by everyone as the team to beat in 2017.
ALL EYES ARE on the Johnnies for 2017 and there is no hesitation from rival coaches in naming them as the favourites.
King’s High School’s new coach Ryan Bambry was unequivocal about putting John McGlashan firmly back in the favourite’s spot: praise warranted after a one-loss season that saw the Johnnies’ historic first win over Otago Boys’ previously untouchable First XV.
Any thoughts that the loss of half the squad for this year, including the likes of Rory Ferguson, would make them vulnerable were also dispelled by Mike Idour, John McGlashan’s director of rugby. Impressed with what he has seen from the successors to the 18-1 overall season, Idour was encouraged. “We will still be very competitive. We have a lots of guys chomping at the bit.”
Helped by early qualification for last year’s playoffs, younger players from the Second XV earned a run and cut their teeth at the top level, creating that crucial depth.
So, who can get close to them this season? From his vantage point as top dog, Idour identified the sides that would present the biggest challenge to a repeat title: “We always expect King’s to be tough and there won’t be a lot of change with Waitaki.” Bambry, who spent time at Waitaki before taking the reins at King’s, was of a similar opinion stating that his old school, South Otago, and OBHS seconds were always strong. The Oamaru school beat everyone but John McGlashan last year and did so in some style, racking up big scores against their closest points table rivals.
Even with the high scores of 2016, the evenness and the paradoxical inconsistencies below the pack leader makes for intriguing match-ups every week and a team like the respected Dunstan or St Kevin’s could be the ones to sneak past South Otago, OBHS, King’s and Waitaki if they are caught missing mentally.