DEFENCE KEY FOR SPIRIT

PROMOTION is at stake.

There is a big pack in front of it and defence will be the key if Otago is to upset Wellington in today’s Farah Palmer Cup Championship final in Porirua.

But the visiting side will have to be accurate on attack as well.

Wellington, which dispatched North Harbour 337 in the semifinal, has been the frontrunner and will start as favourite.

The side has already beaten Otago once this season — a comprehensive 3810 victory on home turf.

But Otago will be hungry after coming close last year. It lost 75 to Bay of Plenty in the driving rain in Tauranga.

Wellington will want back up to the Premiership after it dropped down last season.

The Spirit has made just one change to the starting XV. Flanker Georgia Mason has returned from a knee injury for the game.

The industrious loose forward picked up the complaint during the Spirit’s loss to Wellington in midSeptember.

Zoe Whatarau stepped up during Mason’s absence and was outstanding. But she hobbled off midway through the first half of the 3410 semifinal win against Hawke’s Bay last weekend with a knee injury and has been ruled out.

Coach Scott Manson has made two other changes on the bench, where Georgina McCullough and Janelle Romanchuck make way for Gemma Millar and Amy Du Plessis.

Du Plessis will provide cover for the wingers and Millar brings a ‘‘bit more physicality against a big pack’’, Manson said.

The Spirit defended extremely well in the opening half of its match against Wellington and will need to be at its best in that area again.

‘‘We proved last time we played them that we can really defend them,’’ Manson said.

‘‘But we had to make [too many] tackles and were absolutely buggered in the second half.’’

The key was to keep the defensive intensity high and grasp scoring opportunities and build pressure that way, he said.

Wellington has not lost since its openinground defeat to Hawke’s Bay.

It bounced back the following week to inflict a 4338 defeat on Premiership favourite Canterbury, so it will take plenty of confidence into the fixture.

The Spirit showed plenty of enterprise out wide last weekend.

Black Fern midfielder Kilisitina Moata’ane scored two tries and shapes as a key figure. She missed the earlier rounds with an ankle injury but has added punch to the Spirit backline since returning.

She has been running hard and direct and tackling her is a challenge for the best defenders.

Her partnership with Greer Muir in the midfield is an area of strength for the Spirit.

There is pace out wide, as well, with experienced fullback Sheree Hume, who also dotted down twice during the semifinal.

The Spirit forwards are busy but undersized when compared with the Wellington pack. Getting parity up front will be the big challenge.