Don't drive to Oamaru.
Otago’s pre-season game against Canterbury has been moved from Oamaru to Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin due to the biblical amount of rain which has fallen in the area recently and left the condition of the ground unsuitable.
The match is open to the public. Entry is at Gate H and a gold coin donation will get you in.
Otago has strengthened its starting XV for what is its last pre-season game before the NPC campaign gets under way next weekend.
Veteran loose forward James Lentjes will captain the side and start at No 8. He missed last week’s 50-5 win against Southland in Invercargill to give his shoulder an extra week to heal.
Prop Jermaine Ainsley is back from Maori All Black duty and will slot into the front row in the only other change to the run-on side.
Halfback James Arscott has been named on the bench. He has been sidelined with a fractured bone in his hand which ruined his club season.
He will be keen to make an impression during the second half and push for a starting role against Counties Manukau on August 6.
Hooker Ricky Jackson is still nursing a hamstring complaint and was not considered for selection.
First five Josh Ioane is also unavailable. He was on Maori All Blacks duty and is relocating from Hamilton back to Dunedin.
In his absence, Cameron Millar will get another run at pivot. He made a couple of nice carries against Southland and showed he is more than just an ace goalkicker.
Electric winger Jona Nareki is on limited minutes while he makes his way back from a knee injury which sidelined him for the best part of the year. He has been allotted a 40 minute shift.
Freedom Vahaakolo, or potentially Jake Te Hiwi, will replace him for the second half.
Otago coach Tom Donnelly was satisfied with his side’s opening hit-out in 2022.
"We were able to test our systems and what we are trying, which was good," he said.
"We’ve had another week’s training — actually we haven’t trained that much because it has pretty much rained all week, but this is an opportunity to work on a few more combinations and give guys a crack and see how they go.
"We just want to put our system, and what we are trying to do, under more pressure."
Canterbury has named a decent side. The pack, in particular, looks strong.
Highlanders forward Billy Harmon has been named on the blindside and joins Tom Christie and Dominic Gardner is a formidable loose forward unit.
Impressive prop Tamaiti Williams is a player on the rise. And Canterbury has a quality halfback-first five combination in Mitchell Drummond and Fergus Burke.
NPC pre-season
Dunedin, noon
Otago: Sam Gilbert, Vilimoni Koroi, Josh Timu, Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Jona Nareki, Cameron Millar, Kemara Hauiti-Parapara, James Lentjes (captain), Sean Withy, Oliver Haig, Will Tucker, Fabian Holland, Jermaine Ainsley, Henry Bell, Abraham Pole. Reserves: Harry Press, Tau Koloamatangi, Saula Ma’u, Will Stodart, Rupeni Tamani, James Arscott, Ray Nu’u, Jake Te Hiwi, Freedom Vahaakolo.
Canterbury: Chay Fihaki, Manasa Mataele, Dallas McLeod, Rameka Poihipi, Wil Gualter, Fergus Burke, Mitchell Drummond, Dominic Gardiner, Tom Christie, Billy Harmon, Zach Gallagher, Sam Darry, Tamaiti Williams, Brodie McAlister, Finlay Brewis. Reserves: Shilo Klein, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Seb Calder, Jamie Hannah, Corey Kellow, Willi Heinz, Alex Harford, Isaiah Punivai, Liam Allen, Blair Murray, George Bell.
