Fischli gets chance to make impact against Canterbury
RUGBY
TAIERI loose forward Sam Fischli will make his firstclass debut tomorrow night.
The powerful blindside has been named in the Otago starting lineup for its Mitre 10 Cup match against Canterbury at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch.
Fischli, who is an explosive ball carrier with good pace, had an impressive season for the club champions and gets his opportunity to shine at the next level.
He is one of seven changes to runon side which recorded a comfortable 307 win against an
underpar Northland side at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Friday night.
Otago coach Tom Donnelly will welcome the return of key backs Josh Ioane and Vilimoni Koroi.
The pair were stood down last week after breaching team protocol. They bring a touch of class to what is potentlooking backline.
Backup first fiveeighth Jono Hickey drops outs of the gameday squad to make room for Ioane, while experienced fullback Michael Collins has been shuffled to the bench for Koroi and will be expected to make an impact late in the game.
Veteran hooker Liam Coltman will captain the side and is part of an unchanged front row.
Lock Will Tucker gets the nod to partner Josh Dickson this week which means Jack Regan will start from the bench.
Midfielder Sio Tomkinson also returns to the side and takes Matt Whaanga’s spot. Tomkinson sat out the last six weeks following a high tackle in the opening game of the season against Auckland, while openside flanker Slade McDowall also returns after a serving a threegame ban for a high tackle.
Nasi Manu gets a start at No 8. His experience will help bolster the side as it looks to register its first win against Canterbury since 2005 when it beat its rivals 2419 at Carisbrook.
Canterbury has been struggling a little this year. It has three wins from seven games and is outside to the top four in the Premiership.
It will also still be hurting following a 448 loss to Bay of Plenty in Tauranga on Saturday.
Otago has five wins from seven games and is well ensconced inside the top four in the Championship.
AUCKLAND: Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is switching codes — joining the Canterbury Bulldogs in the NRL.
Hansen is joining the Bulldogs as a highperformance consultant.
The club will be rebuilding after finishing 15th this season with just three wins from 20 games.
Bulldogs chief executive Andrew Hill said Hansen will work closely with new coach
Trent Barrett and his management staff, as well as the players’ leadership group.
‘‘[It’s] tremendous news for everyone associated with the Bulldogs as he is one of the most highly respected figures throughout all of sports,’’ Hill said.
‘‘To be able to have someone with Steve’s record and background work with our staff and players will be a great asset to our club.
‘‘He was responsible for being a major driving force behind one of the most successful sporting brands in history and his knowledge and thoughts on areas such as leadership, high performance, preparation and team ethic will be invaluable to our club as we look to create the right environment for success, on and off the field.
‘‘Steve has already developed a relationship with Trent Barrett, after Trent spent some time with the All Blacks in recent seasons and we believe that his knowledge and insights will be of tremendous benefit,’’ Hill said.
‘‘It’s fantastic for us from a leadership position and to help make sure we get off on the right foot in areas around culture.
‘‘It’s well known that the All Blacks are the benchmark in that regard.’’
Hansen stepped down as All Blacks head coach after the 2019 Rugby World Cup and took up a role with Toyota Verblitz in Japan as a coaching consultant.
He completed a 107game stint in charge of the All Blacks in which he won 93 matches, including a World Cup triumph in 2015 and six Rugby Championship titles.
Barrett said Hansen would offer advice in all areas of the Bulldogs' football operations, and was hoping that Covid19 restrictions would allow him to spend significant time in camp with the club.
‘‘It will be a broad role and it’s important for me to have someone of his stature to lean on.
‘‘There are not too many things he hasn’t seen or done in sport.’’ — The New Zealand Herald