Renamed trophy honours ‘nice guy’
THE cream of South Otago manhood will run out tonight in honour of a local rugby son who epitomised the spirit of the game in the region.
The annual North/South Trophy match between regional select teams the Southern Battlers and Northern Warriors has been rechristened the Caelib Edwards Memorial Trophy, and will kick off in Clinton at 7.30pm.
Crescent Rugby Club (Kaitangata) midfield back Mr Edwards, who died of bone cancer aged just 22 in November last year, was someone who believed rugby was only ‘‘half the game’’, Southern coach Francis Parker said.
‘‘He was just a young feller who gave everything on the field, and was the nicest guy off it. He was a big part of the South Otago rugby community, as his family continues to be today.’’
Mr Edwards’ father Naylor, a former Crescent coach, said his son would have been ‘‘pretty honoured’’ to have the match trophy named after him.
‘‘He would have thought it was great. Caelib had a lot of good mates on lots of different teams locally, and saw the social side as important as giving it your all on the pitch. We’re looking forward to this first match in his honour.’’
Mr Parker said this would be the region’s third annual north vs south fixture , and the match is used as a trial game for South Otago representative selection.
He expected this year’s clash to meet the high standard of earlier outings.
‘‘Southern Battlers won last year, but both teams are looking sharp at the moment. My unbiased tip? With a more mobile forward pack, I reckon our team will get the job done again.’’