Adrian Seconi

Small target. Big result.

The Otago Spirit was denied a winning finish to the Farah Palmer Cup by a late Wellington penalty.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

"Only just, only just," Southland hooker Greg Pleasants-Tate joked when asked if he had caught his breath following the 70m burst during the loss to Northland on Sunday.

Has Mr Intelligence just loped into contention for the New Zealand Cup with a win at the Otago Racing Club’s meeting at Wingatui yesterday?

The Otago and Canterbury associations were not content to let the season slip by without any representative hockey so they have organised their own competition.

No spit. No worries.

Experienced opener Hamish Rutherford will captain the Otago first-class side this year.

They often came at the game from opposite angles.

Southland has persisted with its rotation policy ahead of its match against Taranaki in Invercargill tomorrow night.

It still counts as six if you hit the ball over the rope on the full. You cannot be given out lbw if the ball pitches outside leg. And you still need to take 10 wickets to bowl a side out.

Otago opener Hamish Rutherford might have some making up to do with his father, Ken Rutherford.

Southland will be without key lock Manaaki Selby-Rickit for at least three weeks.

Otago's semifinal prospects all but slipped away with a 28-14 loss to Manawatu at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin yesterday.

The Ranfurly Shield is on the move again.

Hawke's Bay captain Ash Dixon has completed a second successful Ranfurly Shield heist in Dunedin and he has done it in his 100th game for the province.

The Ranfurly Shield is on the move.

Otago prop George Bower has got a better Ranfurly Shield story than most.

Sports writer Adrian Seconi names five aspects of the game Otago will need to get right to avoid a repeat of the 2013 Ranfurly Shield loss to Hawke’s Bay.