Rugby Park a familiar stamping ground for Mackintosh
OTAGO prop Jamie Mackintosh is treating this week’s match as just another game.
Mackintosh says he will enjoy playing in front of family and friends when Otago takes on Southland at Rugby Park Stadium in Invercargill on Friday night.
But more important than running on to the park for Mackintosh (35) was for the Otago team to play well and keep on winning.
The big loosehead prop played 123 games for Southland, captaining the side to two successful Ranfurly Shield victories in what was a golden era for Southland rugby.
But time has moved on, and after playing in France and the United States, Mackintosh is the scrum coach for Otago and is also playing on the loosehead side of the front row.
‘‘It will be great to get down to Invercargill and play in front of a lot of family and friends,’’ he said.
‘‘But it is not really a game I have been targeting. To me it is a game where we can keep the momentum going.’’
Mackintosh was part of the Otago side which beat Canterbury last week, the first win by an Otago side over Canterbury in 15 years. The side has won its past four games.
He said it was a great win but came about from plenty of hard work on the training paddock.
‘‘Guys have been putting a lot of work in. Sure it has been great to get the wins and come away knowing we have played well, but that comes from guys really doing the job on the training paddock.
‘‘Everyone is driving each other to be better and that is showing in our results, I think. You look at everyone and they are all pushing each other. Guys are making real progress. But we can’t let that slip.’’
Mackintosh was getting on the field more after George Bower was called into the All Blacks and he said he was really enjoying playing.
The win over Canterbury was highly valued and showed how far the team had come.
But it was not simply a case of turning up in Invercargill on Friday night and running on to the park to claim a victory.
‘‘Southland are going to be tough. They have a tough forward pack and it will be a battle up front. That is where you would expect the game to be won.’’
Mackintosh first played for Southland in 2004 right through to 2015. He also played for the Highlanders and the Chiefs in his New Zealand career before heading to France in 2016.
He led a Southland side which had plenty of depth and was able to compete with the big city sides in the national provincial championship.
Most of the Southland side which he played with in his time in the maroon jersey have moved on but he was team mates with halfback Liam Howley and lock Mike McKee.
As for what was the trick to winning games at Rugby Park, he said there were no great secrets. The weather may turn and there was always advice about approaching southerlies from Foveaux Strait, but it was simply about playing well.