The senior Otago Country side beat Canterbury Country 33-29 in Rangiora on Saturday to win the tri-series trophy for the second year in a row.
The win was a great way for the team to end the season - its only victory in five games. It was well beaten by a North Otago XV early on and then had close losses to Southland Country, Southland B and Otago B.
Otago Country board chairman Bob Perriam said the result was a tremendous effort from the team and good for the sport in the country area.
The side had played well throughout the season and did not get down-hearted when it fell to some close losses.
Coaches Marty Hurring and Lee Allan had been a real boost to the team and the board was keen to get them back on board for next season.
The board was working hard to get the sport active throughout the region and he said the representative sides were part of that.
Rhys Harrold, George Ravulu and Peter O'Malley were awarded their blazers on Saturday after playing 15 games for the country side.
The board was well down the road of having a B club competition in Central Otago for next season.
Perriam said the competition would be an outlet for players who could not find a team or did not have the ability to play in the senior grade.
Roxburgh, which did not front in this year's senior competition, was keen to be involved in the B competition, and there were indications Cromwell and Upper Clutha may also field teams. The board was talking to the Wakatipu club.
He said it was another avenue to get players playing the game. Some clubs had big numbers and, faced with having to spend time on the sideline for part of the game, many players just gave the game away.
He said retired players may look at joining the B competition to play the game, as it would not be as intense as the senior competition.
The board was looking at changing rules so the game can go ahead.
''We want to make it as user-friendly as possible. We don't want to have rules that stops 13 guys from playing.''
He said all players would have to be registered, but this was a relatively straightforward process these days.
