Otago will face Counties-Manukau in the final of the ITM Cup championship in Pukekohe on Friday night after beating Tasman 41-34 in Dunedin last Friday night.
It could have hosted the final if Southland had beaten Counties-Manukau in Pukekohe on Saturday afternoon.
For a time it looked promising, with Southland leading 23-19 with less than 20 minutes left.
But the southern side tired and Counties-Manukau got a roll on, eventually running out a convincing winner 46-23, and scoring four tries in the final 11 minutes.
The way it played those final minutes would be what Otago wants to avoid.
Otago coach Tony Brown said Counties-Manukau was undoubtedly a real momentum side which was hard to stop when it got a roll-on.
"So defensively we have to be strong. They are a great counter-attacking team so our kicking game has to be good and accurate," Brown said.
"They can be very hard to stop if you let them run but if you keep them under pressure, like Southland did in the first half up there, then the opportunities do come.""They are big, strong boys and they are all good ball runners, all good at moving the ball on, all good at getting to the advantage line."
Brown said the team would treat this week as normal.
"Everyone knows it is a final we are going into so we know the game is probably going to be more physical, going to more intense. So we need to make sure we are ready for it."
Otago lost to Counties-Manukau in the Championship fixture in Pukekohe last month, with the home side winning 43-12 after leading 13-12 at the break.
Brown said having the All Black trio of flanker Adam Thomson and backs Tamati Ellison and Ben Smith was a huge boost.
None of the trip have had a great amount of rugby of late, although Smith went on to the field in the second half of the test in Brisbane on Saturday night.
Thomson played against Tasman last Friday night but it was his first 80 minutes for nearly two months and he admits his lungs were hurting at the end of the game.
The All Blacks' next test is against Scotland in Edinburgh on November 12 and Ellison and Smith are sure to be picked for that tour.
The back duo last played for Otago against North Harbour on September 18. Thomson's place on that tour may be less certain as he is still weighing up his future, but he will be keen to be part of the final.
Smith and Ellison did not start any games in the All Blacks' Rugby Championship campaign and would hardly need to rest tired bodies.
If they both come into the side it will be tough on fullback Tony Ensor and centre Jayden Spence, who have both played exceptionally well this year. But Ellison and Smith are class players, with experience which would be vital in a final.
Counties-Manukau has no players coming back from the All Black squad.
Prop Tama Tuirirangi will also come back into Otago selection consideration for the final. He has missed the past two games with a knee injury but Brown was hopeful he would be able to train this week and be available for selection.
