The Highlanders First XV competition is dead and buried, to be replaced by a yet-to-be-decided Otago-wide schools competition.
The cost of the competition and its impact on teenage playing numbers combined to end the Highlanders competition which started in 2009, and has been won by Otago Boys' High School for the past four years.
A meeting of Otago school rugby administrators late last week decided to have the Otago secondary schools rugby council running all Otago-wide school-age-grade rugby competitions for the 2015 season.
The hope is to have a marquee Otago-wide first XV competition but whether that eventuates will be worked out at a meeting on March 13.
Otago Rugby Football Union community rugby manager Richard Perkins said schools realised at the meeting they could have a viable and strong Otago-wide competition, which would also include North Otago schools.
A playing window would be created at the end of the season for teams from Otago and Southland to play each other to find a regional winner to go on to play in the national top-four competition.
Perkins said the demise of the Highlanders competition was disappointing but, in the end, schools were left with little option.
''The question was asked whether we could push ahead with no naming sponsor ... there are a couple of teams who can go and play elsewhere and we can go back to playing in our own provinces and focus on our own teams,'' Perkins said.
''That would be better for most teams rather than trying to grow depth and spending a lot of money.''
Perkins said the Otago and Southland unions were concerned about the competition's impact on retaining teenage players.
''Players playing at age-grade level are the future of club rugby. We need to keep a close eye on them and make it as enjoyable as possible for them.''
Otago Boys' has already indicated its first XV will play in the colts grade while its second XV is set to play in the junior colts grade.
Southland Boys' is considering its options including the possibility of playing in a Southland under-18 competition, the Southland division three competition or playing in the Dunedin colts competition.
St Kevin's College First XV coach Justin Fowler said it was disappointing the Highlanders competition had fallen over.
He did not find the travel burden from Oamaru too hard and the competition was good to play in.
St Kevin's would look to play in an Otago-wide competition.
John McGlashan College First XV team director Michael Idour said it was very disappointing the competition had ended.
''Sadly, the new competition won't enjoy the profile the old competition had. With 12 teams I think the competition worked, but when it got to 16 teams it was just too many,'' Idour said.
John McGlashan would not consider playing in the colts grade as it wanted to play against other schools.
Idour said it was a worry the Highlanders catchment was now the only one which did not have a region-wide first XV competition.
