Rex Orr was lucky to even be playing when Otago beat Southland to begin its greatest shield reign.
Orr, now 86 and living in a retirement home in Christchurch, had not been picked by Otago coach Vic Cavanagh Jun for the 1947 shield match against Southland in Invercargill.
But an injury to Willis Perriam a week before the big game saw him whisked into the side.
"I remember we were down 11-9 and Graham Moore had not had much success with his kicking. Ron Elvidge said to me to have a go when we got a penalty right out in front and a fair way out. I just got it over and we went 12-11 ahead.
"That put a different complexion on the game. Just after that the Southland forwards came at me with the ball on the toe.
"But I rolled in front of them, picked the ball up and then I was clear."
Orr said he then kicked the ball out near the Southland line, and from the resulting line-out, Elvidge scored a try to seal a 17-11 win, with Orr adding the conversion.
"It took me an hour to get off the field. I came from Balfour, so I knew a lot of people in the crowd."
Otago then held the shield in 18 matches, over three seasons, and Orr played in many of those games. He was in the side which lost the shield to Canterbury 8-0 in 1950.
"That was a funny sort of game. It was played on a Wednesday and it didn't feel like a shield game.
"There was nothing between the teams. But they just managed to get the points."
Orr, who played one game for the All Blacks in 1949, and had his All Black cap given to him last month in a ceremony at his retirement home, said the shield was great for the union and the town, and huge crowds went to Carisbrook.
He still followed rugby, and gave Otago a chance of a win on Friday, although it was a young team.
