Otago has to get back on track
RUGBY
YOU are only as good as your last game.
In that regard, it will be a contest today at Forsyth Barr Stadium between two horrible teams, lacking any spark or direction.
But Tasman and Otago will be hoping the demons of last week have disappeared and normal service will resume.
Before last week — when Tasman was thumped 290 by Canterbury and Otago was done 3215 by Southland — both sides were sitting pretty.
Tasman was a clear second on the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership ladder while Otago was top of the Championship and on a run of four straight victories.
So there is some form there and both teams will be hoping it returns today.
Otago coach Tom Donnelly said the side had talked about the game last week and how it had to play better.
‘‘We’re expecting some fireworks from them. Tasman are a good team and it is a good challenge for us. First of all, we just have to get out and put on a performance that we are proud of,’’ he said.
‘‘We obviously need to improve on last week . . . we were poor in many facets last week. Our breakdown work was not good enough against what was a good Southland team.’’
The home team should not be caught out two weeks in a row and Tasman will also look to resume normal service.
Otago could be excused for not having its eyes on the prize today. It has locked in a home semifinal at least and, although a win today would push it in front of Hawke’s Bay to the top of the table, the Magpies have a match against an inconsistent Taranaki team tomorrow.
They will be fancied to win that clash and go back to the top.
Donnelly said the side was not thinking too much about the playoffs. It simply had to concentrate on today’s game. Getting back to a winning way and regaining that momentum it had from winning four games in a row was the key.
Although the side would love to finish top of the table, it was out of its hands.
More important today was to go out and put on a much improved performance.
Otago first fiveeighth Josh Ioane was way off form last week and will be looking for a big improvement. Ioane has the ability to see the whole park and it will be an interesting duel with
Highlanders teammate Mitch Hunt.
No 8 Nasi Manu will run hard and provide impetus for the Otago attack while the return of Joan Nareki will also be a bonus.
Lock Josh Dickson has a tear in the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee but it is hoped he will be back next week. He has been running this week which is positive although it is a painful injury.
Tasman can lock up second in the Premiership today if it wins big as although thirdplaced Waikato can finish equal on points, Tasman has the advantage as it won the match between the sides.
IT may be confusing for many but, whatever way you look at it, Otago has been hard done by in the draw for this season’s Mitre 10 Cup.
It ended up playing the top four teams from last year in Tasman, Wellington, Auckland and Canterbury.
The structure of the competition is such that teams get to pick their opponents in various order for four crossover games.
Well, some get to pick more than others.
For this season, the first round of picks had the top seven teams — the Premiership — picking sides.
Bottom Premiership team Bay of Plenty had the first opportunity to pick an opponent at the Championship side’s venue.
Everyone avoided Otago so Tasman was left with it as the only opponent left.
The second round was when the Championship sides — from the bottom up — had to pick an opponent for a home game.
Otago was left with Wellington, Auckland and North Harbour — hardly the most attractive of selections.
It picked Auckland, mainly because of the Lin Colling Memorial Trophy.
In the third round, the Premiership teams picked a home game with Tasman going first.
Canterbury had third pick and selected Otago as it envisaged a big crowd for a Ranfurly Shield challenge.
Of course ,when the game had arrived the shield had long gone.
The final pick was by the Championship teams for an away game. Otago had third pick but by then — due to previous rounds — had to pick between Wellington and North Harbour.
It picked Wellington mainly because of the Mike Gibson Memorial Trophy.
So it ended up with the top four teams in the Premiership.
Southland, on the other hand, which finished bottom of the Championship last year, does not play Auckland, Wellington or Canterbury this season. Hawke’s Bay has played Canterbury, North Harbour, Bay of Plenty and Wellington.
It has missed Tasman, Auckland and Waikato.
In the end though, it did not make much difference for Otago.
Otago has beaten Wellington and Canterbury and will take on Tasman today. It lost to Auckland, which was stacked with All Blacks.
The days of crossover matches may also be coming to an end.
The future of the competition is up for discussion and there is talk of having pools split along geographical lines. Whether that leads to the end of picking opponents is still unclear.