Keep on playing call from successful captain
A TOP women’s rugby player hopes her achievements and those of her South Otago teammates can inspire other young players emerging from the region.
Balclutha native and accountant Tegan Hollows could pass for any smartly dressed professional woman by day, but during the rugby season she is a formidable and feisty competitor in the thick of the scrum, where she has been playing, most recently, as hooker.
Hollows doubles as captain for the Otago Spirit team, which this season emerged runnerup for a second time in the Farah Palmer Cup championship — the women’s second division. In last year’s final, the Spirit was bumped by two points by Bay of Plenty. This season it was put to the sword 575 by a Wellington side whose sojourn in the championship was a mystery to many, having lost only one game all season, and convincingly beating eventual premiership winner Canterbury along the way.
However, such experiences were all part of a ‘‘sporting evolution’’ for Hollows, and the pain of any defeat was mitigated by sharing her journey with five fellow South Otagoborn players.
Hollows’ school and subsequent provincial career had long overlapped with most of her current South Otago Spirit teammates — a familiarity that bred not contempt, but instead an intuitive shorthand and slickness of play, she said.
‘‘I’ve played with Greer [Muir, secondfive] for basically my whole South Otago High School years, and we’ve all played together for several years through various periods.
‘‘It definitely deepens your understanding with those people — things like me and [prop Isla] Pringle giving each other little offloads.’’
The 21yearold was upbeat in defeat, and praised Wellington for its ‘‘stellar’’ season.
‘‘They just got the upper hand then ran away with it. It might sound weird, but we played well all season, even against Wellington. It was just one of those days, but you pick yourself and come back stronger.’’
Given the opportunity, Hollows doubted she could leave Otago behind.
‘‘We’ve got a great culture and spirit in this team. I don’t think I could play for another province. It’s pretty special playing at this level with your mates.’’
Above all, she hoped the current flush of South Otago representatives could inspire the region’s youngsters.
‘‘It’s often that step up to fullcontact women’s rugby that puts people off, but hopefully if they see us playing and dealing with it fine, we’ll continue to see more come through.
‘‘My message? When you leave school, just keep playing.’’