The Highlanders beat the Crusaders 20-19 in yesterday’s Farmlands Cup match.
It was held behind closed doors in Weston, near Oamaru, due to the Red traffic light setting.
It may have been for the best, as the rain poured down for the entire match, which was hosted by the Valley Rugby Club.
Valley president Hamish Loe said it was great to welcome the Super Rugby Pacific franchises to North Otago for the pre-season match.
“It’s good to have a good level of rugby being played but unfortunately the crowd’s not here, obviously,” Mr Loe said.
“We’ve had some great comments on the field.
‘‘They were saying they were very impressed with the standard of the turf, so that’s great.”
Valley hosted a dinner in Oamaru on Thursday night, raising money for the club, and North Otago’s two other country clubs, Maheno and Kurow.
Former All Black coach Sir Steve Hansen spoke at the dinner.
Mr Loe said it was a great night for all three clubs.
