Couple might just have winning touch

DWAYNE Cleugh certainly seems to bring some luck to Otago rugby teams.

Or at least he does when his wife, Gaby Manaloto, has driven him to watch them play.

Twice the Aucklandbased couple have travelled long distances to big games.

Both times the return trip has been a happy one.

Cleugh, originally from Gimmerburn and formerly of Dunedin, got his pregnant wife to drive him and a friend to Inglewood on Sunday for

Otago’s successful Ranfurly Shield challenge.

When was the last time they had undertaken such a trip? The Highlanders’ 2015 Super Rugby final triumph against the Hurricanes.

He quipped to Otago team manager Shayne O’Connor on Rugby Chat that the team needed to get her to Sunday’s defence against Hawke’s Bay at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.

‘‘She’s had to drive halfway across the country twice,’’ Cleugh told the show via Zoom.

‘‘She drove to Wellington in 2015 and we won the Super Rugby, drove down to New Plymouth Sunday and we won the [Ranfurly] Shield.

‘‘If you want to keep it, you’ve got to fly her down.’’

Cleugh had thought Otago would win, particularly if it was a nice day, and expected the backs to ‘‘cut them to pieces’’.

As it turned out it was not such a nice day, but the team blew Taranaki away in the first half.

It had been a fantastic result to experience live. ‘‘Unbelievable,’’ Cleugh said. ‘‘To see the boys in enemy territory get it done, you feel a bit special being one of a couple there and get around it and get among the boys at the end.’’

They stuck around and joined in with the celebration drinks.

It even prompted a tongueincheek claim that if Otago holds the shield at the end of the season Cleugh would call his newborn Vili, after electric outside back Vilimoni Koroi.

‘‘We hung around for a long time. The boys were great mingling in with everyone,’’ he said on Rugby Chat.

Later that night they began the return trip, as Cleugh and his friend continued to celebrate.

‘‘So we started the trek back to Hamilton about 10.30pm that night and just tried to keep going and tried to keep some chat to keep everyone awake.’’