Stags draw full of Sunday fixtures
The Southland Stags will play six of its 10 National Provincial Championship games on Sunday afternoons this season in a draw that doesn’t thrill Rugby Southland management.
The 2022 NPC draw was released yesterday and highlights the Stags’ feast of Sunday afternoon rugby.
Three of Southland’s five home games will be played on Sundays, and six in total.
At one point Southland was scheduled to play all its home games on Sunday and seven in total. However, after some pushback, a tweak was made to reduce it to six Sunday games.
Rugby Southland general manager Steve Mitchell said the Stags traditionally generate the most fan engagement at 4.35pm or 7.05pm Saturday games.
Included in the Sunday home games this year will be the team’s traditional derby with Otago, which tends to pull in the biggest crowds.
Mitchell acknowledged the preference was for that game to be played on a Saturday, but said: ‘‘It is what it is. In typically Southland style we’ll take it on the chin and get on with it.’’
The Stags are in line for a potential Ranfurly Shield challenge when they play Hawke’s Bay in Napier on Saturday, September 10.
Hawke’s Bay hold the shield and would need to fend off challenges from Counties Manukau and North Harbour for Southland to get the next shot at the prized possession.
The Stags’ showdown with Hawke’s Bay will be their first game during a ‘‘storm week’’ where they will play three games in nine days.
After Napier, the Stags will head to play Hamilton on the Wednesday before travelling to Tauranga to play Bay of Plenty on the Sunday.
Mitchell said the team was investigating the prospect of having an extended squad of 30-plus players in the North Island during that storm week rather than returning to Invercargill after each game.
It is 11 weeks until the Stags’ first game against Tasman on August 7.
Mitchell said there were some encouraging signs from the highperformance squad that was in place regarding strength and conditioning records and general commitment.
Southlanders off to Taupo¯
Meanwhile, three Southland players are set to line up in the New Zealand Under-20 tournament in Taupō that will run from Sunday through to the following Saturday.
The tournament will include teams from the five New Zealand Super Rugby teams and a Barbarians team.
Flanker Hayden Michaels and prop Liam McIntosh have been named in the Highlanders under20 squad, while halfback Josh Murrell will play for the Barbarians team.