Otago should not have to ship in any players from outside the province this season.
There was a lot of talent on display during a trial game at Logan Park last night.
And with maybe half a dozen spots up for grabs in the NPC squad, there were plenty of players mounting compelling arguments for inclusion.
For the record, Otago Gold beat Otago Blue 14-12.
The match was played under lights in crisp conditions which were not suited for sparkling back play.
The forwards dominated and there were some very willing exchanges up front.
Gold led 7-0 at the break thanks to a try from Dunedin hooker Harry Press. He crashed over from close range.
Gold had a bit more meat in the pack and had the better of the opening half. Prop Ben Lopas made some thundering tackles you could feel from the other end of the field.
Twin towers Rueben Palmer and Ale Aho had strong games at lock.
Fullback Mackenzie Haugh made some promising runs and Jeremiah Asi looked dangerous when he got in a little bit of space on the wing for Gold.
Loose forward Harry Taylor led the charge for Blue. He stands out every week for Southern and shone again.
He made a lot of telling tackles and some good carries.
Second five Hugo Lynch hit the ball up nicely as well.
Blue got back into the match through a try to Taylor Dale. He drove over after a period of sustained attack.
James Te Pairi ran 40m to score in the corner to level the score.
Gold had fumbled in the midfield and Blue pounced. Taylor got himself involved, like he does, and got the pass to Te Pairi. Chalk that up as an assist.
Blue was circling in the final moments but could not find the winner.
- The Crusaders have more injury woes on their hands.
They will be without lock Sam Whitelock and loose forward Ethan Blackadder for the Super Rugby Pacific semifinal against the Blues in Christchurch tomorrow night.
Whitelock has been dealing with an Achilles issue for the past few weeks, and Blackadder suffered a quad injury after coming on as a substitute against the Fijian Drua last weekend.
Coach Scott Robertson said Blackadder would not be available for a few weeks, ruling him out of the final should they make it, while Whitelock will be fighting to be fit. — additional reporting The New Zealand Herald
