So club rugby is back again in Otago. It’s been a long wait, it seems, since last year.
Well, that’s not quite true, down on the farm in Central, Southern and Southland, it’s already under way.
Unbelievably Colts rugby started last week as well — more on that bizarre decision shortly. But we are back and I can’t wait!!
How the clubs are shaping
Alhambra Union are running six teams, four men’s and two women’s. Dunedin are running eight teams, six men and two women. Harbour are running four men’s teams. Kaikorai are running six men’s teams. Southern are running four men’s teams. Taieri are running four men’s teams. Varsity are running six teams, five men’s and one women’s team. Zingari are running six teams, four men’s and two women’s teams.
The word is Dunedin are stretched, even though they’re running the most teams. Green Island (New Zealand’s best club) are the big winners, running seven teams with good numbers and Zingari continue to improve. Varsity, on the back of some solid recruitment, are burgeoning with players.
So who finishes where?
Normally I rate myself as a bit of a Nostradamus, but this comp looks harder than the average. But that won’t stop me from making a fool of myself. Harbour have brought a whole new team in from all over New Zealand and the Abramovich (Lance Spence) cheque book has taken a hit! I had a bet recently with new coach Pete McIntyre that he wouldn’t make it through the preseason, and I lost. The word is, some of the new recruits are very tidy so I’m picking them to make the final. They will play Varsity in the final as they’ve gone on a spending splurge of their own which even Abramovich would struggle to match.
I see GI, Zingari, Dunedin and Southern fighting out the other four spots in the six. The wild cards are Taieri and Kaik. The Eels are in rebuild and could easily knock over one of those four. Kaik are small up front but have possibly the best loose forward trio in town so they won’t be lying down. Unfortunately, that leaves the AU ponies holding the dreaded spoon. So to summarise, the final is between Harbour and Varsity. That leaves GI, Zingari, Dunedin and Southern fighting out the other two semifinal spots. You heard it here first.
Are we becoming irresponsible?
Are our town clubs going the way of provincial unions — spending money on players they don’t have, poaching players from other clubs and making club rugby unsustainable, especially as player numbers continue to drop?
Look at where provincial rugby is now. No interest, no crowds with provinces like Wellington about to announce another million-dollar loss. The whole thing overseen by the NZRU which is "fiddling while Rome burns". Let’s spend more money by having a national under-18 side! More on that next week.
It seems clubs are spending more and more on players in what is supposedly an amateur competition. More and more clubs in town are getting on this treadmill to compete.
In my mind, it’s sheer lunacy. We should take a deep breath and cry "enough". We can’t poke the finger at provincial unions and the NZRU if we are doing exactly the same thing.
The new scoring system
I’m hearing complaints about the new scoring system that NZRU has adopted. I’m no expert on things technical but up to this season I think we’ve been using "sporty" which, from all accounts, has been working well. Even I can use it. The new Aussie-based system "Rugby Explorer’ is to save money and it’s only community rugby so who cares! But it has serious flaws compared with the previous system.
Some startling rumours
The Colts comps have never started in March. As a rule it’s after Easter, so why are we now starting now?
I’m hearing it’s because of the Otago U19 programme — really? That would be the tail wagging the dog. The other rumour, the Otago board don’t want contracted Southland players playing in the Dunedin comp. This can’t be right. Aren’t we all playing nicely in the Landers sand pit? I’ll keep an eye on this.
The tipping comps
We have changed it up in our picking comps this year, going with local "noters" rather than club personalities. To that end we are starting with our leading citizens. Mayor Jules Radich kicks off the Dunedin comp and Mayor Glyn Lewers from Queenstown tees off in the country. The side bets are already on and the wine is flowing, let me assure you! Not sure how I’ll adjudicate this, but a mere technicality.
In Dunners I’m a shoo-in as Jules is a bit "flakey" with his tipping.
The GI Spannerheads go in as favourites against the Sharks, with a couple of Landers turning out for them. But Spanners don’t swim, and they are playing in the sandpit at Shark Park and I never pick GI, so Sharks (12-) win.
The Eels (12-) slither up to the high veldt and I think they may do enough to upset Kaik, especially with Cam Miller at the wheel. Zingers (13+) had better be too good for AU or the money hasn’t been well spent. The Southern pack are huge and go in as favourites but I’ve tipped Varsity (12-) to go all the way so they get up in the Vic Kavanagh.
In the country we are in Central and I always win in the country. Cromwell (13+) will deal to the Maggots as they don’t come good until June. Wakatipu (12-) are having their first hitout and are playing a gritty Alex outfit, but the Queenstown "Glitterati" may get it done at home.
Upper Clutha (13+) are at home and even though the Arrowtown Bulls won last week, it won’t happen at Lake Wanaka.
