Old Golds will be hoping to be on song
MASTERTON: North Otago will hopefully be singing It’s Now or Never as its bus travels between Wellington and Masterton for its crucial Heartland Championship game against WairarapaBush this afternoon.
The song recorded in 1960 by Elvis Presley came originally from a 1949 Tony Martin record, There’s No Tomorrow. Possibly either would be a more than appropriate tune for North Otago’s 2018 season.
North Otago goes into this final qualifying round having won only three of its seven games and is lying ninth, just outside qualifying for the Lochore Cup (middle four).
North Otago has 16 points, as have Poverty Bay and WairarapaBush.
But North Otago has not got its situation all on its own.
North Otago has a proud record since 2006, when the Meads CupLochore Cup system was introduced.
In the past 12 years, the Old Golds have made the semifinals 12 times and gone to the finals seven times.
WairarapaBush has a similar playing record this season to North Otago, having won four of its games, including a 2724 win over South Canterbury.
North Otago has made six changes to the side which lost to South Canterbury last week. In the forward pack tighthead prop Kelepi Funaki gets a deserved start in place of Meli Kolinisau while Filipo Veamatahau, who missed the South Canterbury game because of his grandmother’s funeral, will move to lock with Josh Clark. Matt Duff returns to the openside flank.
In a surprise, midfielder Paul Tupai moves from centre to first fiveeighth, with Matthew Vocea starting on the left wing.
In other games, Mid
Canterbury (17) meets King Country (26) in Ashburton and South Canterbury (27) hosts Thames Valley (27), while West Coast (17) is at home to East Coast (1).