Collins to bring up 50th match for Otago in semi

OTAGO fullback Michael Collins will play his 50th game for the province when he leads the side into battle against Hawke’s Bay tomorrow.

The side has also been boosted by the inclusion of hooker Liam Coltman, who will come off the bench.

Coltman has been tied up with

the All Blacks for the past two months and was named earlier this week in the 19 players

travelling to Japan to take on the Brave Blossoms

Collins (25) will look to take his side into the final of the Mitre 10 Cup Championship and play his 50th game in a career which has had its share of ups and downs.

Collins played for the New Zealand Schools side in 2011 while at his last year at Otago Boys’ High School. He made his firstclass debut for Otago the following year against Southland in Balclutha and was in and out of the Otago side for the next three years.

He played in the Otago midfield for the first three years of his Otago career but midway through the 2015 season he made his debut at fullback against Wellington.

He then left to play a season in Wales for the Llanelli Scarlets.

He impressed while playing for the Welsh side and came back quicker and stronger for

Otago in 2016.

He played a game in the midfield at the start of that season but went back to fullback and there he has stayed.

Collins would have brought up the 50 game mark earlier but missed all of last season because of a leg injury.

Collins, who has played for the Blues in the past couple of seasons, has grown in stature over the past couple of years. The spell in Wales was a real boost to his game as he got quicker and grew in confidence and has turned into a real asset for the Otago team.

Otago has made just one change to its starting side which beat Waikato last week. On the left wing Vilimoni Koroi comes in to replace Jona Nareki who damaged his scrotum in the game against Waikato.

Koroi will be itching to get a start but Nareki’s absence is a blow as he has been in fine form all season.

Otago coach Ben Herring said there was a temptation to pick Coltman in the starting side but he wanted to reward Sekonaia Pole for good performances over the past couple of weeks.

Taylor Haugh starts as the outside back reserve with Josh Timu coming back from an injured thumb and Matt Whaanga still not quite right from a ligament injury in his foot. Lock Tom Rowe has recovered from a shoulder injury and will come off the bench.

Openside flanker Slade McDowall gets the start ahead of the returning James Lentjes, a reward for a top first half against Waikato last week.

Hawke’s Bay will finalise its team this morning and head south later today.

It will look to halfback Brad Weber and No 8 Gareth Evans to guide its team round the paddock while it has some exciting talent out wide.

MELBOURNE: Australia coach Michael Cheika has included Waratahs lock Jed Holloway among three uncapped players in a 31man squad released yesterday for the third and final Bledisloe Cup test against New Zealand in Yokohama.

Halfback Jake Gordon and loose forward Angus Cottrell, an unused squad member for the final Rugby Championship matches against South Africa and Argentina, are the other uncapped players.

The October 27 match is a dead rubber after the All Blacks sealed the annual transtasman series with wins in Sydney and Auckland.

Queensland centre Samu Kerevi makes his return after missing the Rugby Championship with a bicep injury.

The 25yearold’s most recent match was the third test against Ireland in June. Reece Hodge has started at centre in all six games in his absence.

Centre Tevita Kuridrani has been left out as he continues his recovery from a pectoral muscle injury sustained in July, allowing another chance for seventest Sefa Naivalu, who played his most recent match against Italy in June, 2017.

Loose forward Jack Dempsey has been included after missing the entire season with a serious hamstring injury.

Englandbased hooker Tatafu PolotaNau and second fiveeighth Matt Toomua have been omitted as the match falls outside the international window.

As expected, flanker Lukhan Tui was also left out, having

announced on social media on Sunday he had withdrawn himself from selection to look after his family after the death of his stepfather.

The Wallabies will have a training camp in Japan and pick their squad for the European tour, where they play Wales, Italy and England, after the game against the All Blacks. — Reuters