Rugby: OBHS may be dark horse

The grounds are ready, the teams are prepared and now the battle for the Spartans trophy has begun.

The inaugural Spartans 10s tournament will be played out at Miller Park today with 16 teams from all over the bottom of the South Island hunting the trophy.

The tournament was the idea of personal trainer Shane Waldron, who thought it would be a good way to help get teams into some early season match fitness and also help raise money for injured players.

Waldron is the personal trainer for former Kaikorai player Nick Chisholm, who has locked-in syndrome.

The competition involves 16 teams, including the likes of Star from Invercargill, teams from Central Otago and a good smattering of Dunedin club teams.

One dark horse could be the team from Otago Boys' High School which includes present and past players from the school.

It has been training hard and will be a tough nut to crack although combinations may be a tad rusty.

The Spartans have entered a side with a sprinkling of former international including the likes of John Leslie and Brendan Laney.

The game of 10s has been played spasmodically in Dunedin - the Pirates club started a tournament a few years ago but it did not last long.

The game involves five backs and five forwards and has 10-minutes halves.

Yesterday's drizzle is expected to soften up the ground and it hoped the rain will stay away today.

The matches start on the two fields at 9am with games right through until 3pm. There will be a break then for half an hour before semifinals.

The final for the bottom-finishing eight teams will start at 4.30pm with the final for the top sides set for 5pm.

An auction will take place at the Green Island club rooms at Miller Park after the match with some top items up for grabs.

No entry is required to watch the games although donations will be accepted.

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