Old Boys will be hard to beat
North Otago club rugby begins this weekend. Otago Daily Times correspondent Terry O’Neill casts his eye over the six teams.
OLD Boys will again be the team to beat, after dominating the past decade in Citizens Shield rugby.
The defending champion has had one preseason game, against Green Island, losing 2417 last weekend.
Under two playercoaches, frontrower Ralph Darling and midfield back Lemi Masoe, both firstclass centurions, Old Boys will no doubt produce real flair on the paddock.
The forward pack will be led by Darling, bruising No 8 Sami Tongotongo and loose forward Filipo Veamatahau, but missing from the loose trio will be Manu Taiti, who is sidelined with a neck injury.
Inside back Inoke Naufahu, who had a broken 2017 season through injury, will be an asset if he is back to full fitness.
The additions to the side are frontrowers Brandan Mangold (Canada) and Timoci Bulitavu (Athletic Marist).
Valley, beaten in the final last season, will be out to go one better this season, though Rob Mafileo (retired), Brad Morton (Mid Canterbury) and Ryan Ambler (Kurow) are missing from the pack.
Key players up front will be Sam Sturgess, Cameron Rowland, Meli Kolinisau and Cedric Laurent, along with the versatile Jake Greenslade, who has been playing in Portugal.
In the backs, Brad McKenzie, Matt Vocea, Mark Roney, Dylan Edwards and ace first five Dan Lewis, who will return from English club Bedford later in the first round, will set the standard.
Maheno has a new coach, South African expatriate Adriaan Botha, who steps up from schoolboy rugby and is happy with how the 2016 champion is shaping.
‘‘We’ve had good numbers. ‘‘We’ve been focusing on skills and I feel the team is at a good level for this time of the year,’’ Botha said.
Key men will again be Craig Smith, though he is carrying an injury, halfback Robbie Smith, utility back Lachie Kingan, flanker Marcus Balchin and hardcharging forward Hayden Tisdall.
An interesting newcomer is Sam Tatupu, of Christchurch, a powerful centre who made an impression in a warmup game against Maniototo.
Athletic Marist, which last year finished with the wooden spoon — although a single point
separated third from sixth — has sustained some major losses.
Bulitavu, Antini Brown (Australia), Connor Newlands (AlhambraUnion), Jamie Rhodes (Excelsior), Emanuel Dutack (Waimate), Alex Hill (Timaru) and Dan Walker (England) have left.
Newcomers include former Waitaki Boys’ High School midfield back Mason Kinzett and Englishman Ross Lewis, a utility back.
Under new coaches Nic Anderson and Tim Anderson, Kurow will be aiming high after making the top four last season and pushing Old Boys close on two occasions.
Numbers are high, with a big influx of players from the Twizel area. Key players in the backs are the returning Ben Nowell and Tyler Burgess, while halfback Ross McCone has come out of retirement.
Rugged forward Sam Forsyth is missing but Forbes Meehan, Petelo Pouhila, Isaac Milne, Fred Sutton, Havard Fale and Michael Paterson are in the pack.
Excelsior, under Dan Keno and new playercoach Jamie Rhodes, has been struggling for numbers at this stage of the season.
‘‘We’ve not just lost Chris Talanoa and Oscar Pamment but the English boys — Morgan Dawes, Aaron Martin, Joe Pickett, Anthony Kent and Tom MacDonald — have gone home,’’ Keno said.
Rhodes gives the front row a boost, while Antonio Misiloi, Kayne Middleton and Hamish Slater will be the nucleus of a decent backline. Newcomers are Taufia Tevalu (Auckland) and Whetu Stirling (Buller).