Otago Country champion Lawrence will not have a team in this year's competition.
Lawrence, which was the South Otago club champion last year and then went on to beat Maniototo in the country final, has been forced to pull out of this year's competition because of insufficient playing numbers.
The South Otago competition will now consist of seven teams and has a bye.
Lawrence president Peter Roughan said it was disappointing the club could not put a team together but it simply did not have the numbers.
''We probably had a core of about seven or eight guys and that was not enough. It is disappointing but I suppose it is just a sign of the times,'' he said.
''We've had guys move out of the area - some are having a crack in town. You are getting down to a certain number and it becomes impractical and you can't have a team.''
Out of last year's side, leading scorer Lance Taylor, has a teaching job in Rangiora, Sam Wyber and Stu Young are playing in Dunedin, and Will Hurst is recovering from knee surgery.
Numbers were low and there was simply no option but to pull the plug.
''Just with the way farms are now, not employing as many people as they used to. Over the years local guys used to come back and play when they were living in Dunedin.
''But they want to have a crack in town. Unfortunately, you have to be in town now to get in front of the selectors.''
Roughan said Lawrence would give support to players who had gone to other clubs as a result of the decision.
The club was working hard to make sure it returned to the competition next year and was confident it would field a senior side next year.
Lawrence, which had enjoyed plenty of success in the past decade, had imported some players from the Pacific Islands over the years to fill the gaps.
Roughan said this was done to bolster the side in a couple of positions and was never seen as a way to build a team.
Otago Country board chairman Geoff McPhee said it was disappointing Lawrence had pulled out but he could understand the reasons.
It was a blow to the South Otago competition and country rugby in general.
The Central Otago competition would also have a bye, as the Cromwell B side had pulled out this year, McPhee said.
Club rugby will start in the country on March 28, a week later than the Dunedin metropolitan competition.
