Creative backline play
It was good to see Otago employing a variety of planned set-moves in the backline in the 37-33 win against Auckland. Rather than just throwing the ball around and trying to find a gap, they manipulated the Auckland defence well and created some holes for their runners to go through.
This led to the first try to Buxton Popoalii and made them look threatening on other occasions. This could perhaps be put down to having a former back as a coach who is looking to be a bit more creative, making the team all the more dangerous.
Hard working forwards
The Otago forwards are not necessarily the flashiest players, but they sure work hard and deserve much of the credit for the successes this year's team has had. Lee Allan is possibly the biggest contributor in this area, a player who just tackles the whole game and is always looking for a way to be involved. Along with him, Charlie O'Connell and Tom Franklin and hard workers on defence, while Paul Grant does a lot on both attack and defence that often goes unnoticed.
Add to this the likes of the no-nonsense, energetic presence of Liam Coltman and the exceptionally mobile Craig Millar, and you have a forward pack who rarely lets you down.
Confidence in squad depth
One of the strengths of Otago this year has been that they have such great squad depth and that the coaching staff has confidence in exploiting it. Over the past few weeks we have seen a variety of top players rested, but this has hardly weakened the side, with the replacements coming in and doing a fine job.
This makes the bench a very real threat for any opposition team, as Otago can confidently replace its tired players with players just as capable of doing the job required. The likes of Charlie O'Connell, Sam Anderson-Heather and Aki Seiuli have all embodied this, while TJ Ioane is an example of a player who personifies the word ‘impact'. You cannot fault the efforts of the young backs that have been given a chance. Josh Renton, Tei Walden and Michael Collins have all been introduced at various stages throughout the season with the game still in the balance and they have gotten the job done.
Fast-paced game
A feature of nearly every game at Forsyth Barr Stadium is the fast pace at which the games are played. Otago clearly looks to move the ball and play an open game, using its fast forward pack to secure the ball and trying to run the opposition off its feet. This means teams coming to Dunedin have to be fit and capable of containing a team playing an expansive game plan.
How well they are able to do this often determines how well the team goes. Last time Otago met Hawkes Bay there was the added incentive of the Ranfurly Shield at stake, which saw the game tighten up. This time around expect both teams to chance their arm a bit more and whoever does this the best will come out on top.
Cut down on mistakes
Maybe this is true of most of the teams in the ITM Cup these days, but the main criticism of Otago would be that they make too many mistakes. They are generally pretty good around the ruck and at set-piece, but they have been dropping too much ball in open play and have taken the wrong option a few too many times.
This may be nit-picking to some, but if they are to win this thing they need to take every chance they get, while limiting the oppositions chances, which essentially means making less mistakes.
