This really was a bit of a David and Goliath encounter.
Otago, ravaged by injury, and badly beaten by Auckland the week before, had to face up to Canterbury, packed with All Blacks and peaking nicely for the run-in to the business end of the season.
After all, 2002 was the year in which 14 Cantabrians once ran on to the field in an All Black side.
But those All Blacks were given a hurry-up by a gutsy Otago side.
Otago threw everything at the home team and was leading with the end in sight.
But Andrew Mehrtens had the last say, knocking over a penalty with nine minutes to go to put the home side ahead.
The match was played in wet, slippery conditions and there were plenty of handling errors.
Otago had its chances, though.
Halfback Danny Lee dropped the ball when lunging for the line midway through the first half, while first five-eighth Blair Feeney missed a penalty in the second half which would have pushed the score out to 16-6.
Flanker Kelvin Middleton played for Otago that day and said the side never felt certain of winning the game.
"Mehrtens was the key, really. We had a plan to try and keep the ball away from him, yet he was probably more prominent the longer the game went on," Middleton said.
"We were a bit of a ragamuffin bunch and had some injuries during the season, but we saw them as definitely beatable.
"Although we played relatively well, as a game it was like they were in charge and they were dominating. It was quite close the whole way but on the field we were really up against it."
Middleton said Otago never felt comfortable throughout the match against a very experienced Canterbury side.
The team, coached by Greg Cooper and Wayne Graham, had gone to Christchurch a couple of days before the match.
"If it wasn't a Ranfurly Shield game then it probably would have opened up more and there would have been more points scored. But it was tight and we gave it our best.
"After the match it was one to look back on that we could have played better," he said.
It was a relatively low-profile challenge in Otago, certainly compared with the one in 1994, but Middleton said that did not lessen the disappointment of losing.
"The guys went back to the hotel and were disappointed. The majority of them just stayed in the hotel when in most circumstances they would have gone out on the town."
Middleton (35) is now back on the family farm near Queenstown, with wife Rachael and daughters Anabella (4) and Lulu (nearly 2), after a stint playing in Japan.
He is co-coach of the Wakatipu premier team.
He said for Otago to beat Wellington next Friday night it had to be confrontational and put Wellington on the back foot.
"It always starts in the tight five. They are a huge factor. If they can play extremely well then we have got a real good chance. They need to defend well, make their tackles and get the attack going.
"That attack is so important. In that game in 2002 we seemed to spend that whole game defending."
• Jade Stadium, Christchurch
October 12, 2002
Canterbury 16 Justin Marshall try; Andrew Mehrtens conversion, 2 penalty goals, Marshall dropped goal
Otago 13 Seilala Mapusua try; Blair Feeney conversion, 2 penalty goals.
