Otago finished with a win but had to settle for seventh at the New Zealand under-18 tournament in Rotorua yesterday.
The Jodi Brown-coached Otago side beat Waitakere 37-31 in the seventh-eighth playoff.
‘‘I think that’s a fair reflection of where we are and the time we’ve had together,’’ Brown said yesterday.
‘‘We had a really limited build-up to this campaign. But it was good to finish the tournament with a win.’’
Otago had been beaten 27-17 by Invercargill earlier in the day.
‘‘That was tough for us, and I think we were a little worse for wear after that, but we picked ourselves up,’’ Brown said.
Shooters Grace Southby and Charlotte Underwood-Nichol were two of Otago’s best over the week.
‘‘They both had a strong tournament,’’ Brown said.
‘‘They bore the brunt of some heavy contact from the defensive sides and they stood up well under pressure,’’ Brown said.
Otago captain Jess Tyrrell, the wing defence from Otago Girls’ High School, also shone.
‘‘Game after game, she just really grew, and forced people into mistakes, and played some really hard defence.’’
Invercargill finished sixth, pipped 26-25 by Christchurch Red in its final game.
Auckland team beat Wellington Black 25-16 in the final.
