Paucity of players puts paid to Pirates premiers

Pirates has pulled  out of the Dunedin premier rugby club competition this season, saying it did all it could to get players.

The club announced its decision yesterday. The  135-year-old club had a pre-season match last Saturday against Dunedin where it had only 18 players available for both the premier one and premier two teams. Club chairman Jess Tuhega said the club had worked hard to get players and brought in new coaches for the competition  that  starts on March 25.

"We could have continued for a couple more weeks and hoped more players turned up. But we have got to give the players that we have got our blessing to go and play somewhere else if they want to," she said.

"We have had to make a hard call, and it was a hard call, but it was one that had to be made.

"Most clubs have a premier squad of between 28-30 players, have eight that switch down to the prem twos at times, and we are clearly not there."

Former Canterbury representative and West Coast coach Allan Lindsay and former University A coach John Hyde had come on board as coaches for this season , along with former Otago player Dave Callon as the club’s rugby director. The team took  the wooden spoon last year, winning just one game, and at one stage last season was struggling to field a team. It almost defaulted a game in May last year but managed to get a team together.

Ms Tuhega said it was a sad day for the club.

"We had a lengthy debate because your premier team is your main team, and we want to have a premier team.

"The older club members will be gutted, there is no doubt about that."

She said the club would come out fighting to get back into the premier grade next year and this season would field premier two, premier colts and women’s teams. The club also has a strong junior club.

The club, where All Blacks such as Kevin Skinner and Ray Bell played, last won a banner in 2002 but has struggled in the past few years as a core of players retired and potential new players  looked elsewhere.

The premier competition would now be a nine-team competition with  a bye  every Saturday.

Otago Rugby Football Union general manager Richard Kinley said it was a sad day for  Pirates.

"We have been working with them, as has Sport Otago, from July last year planning for the future and it is just really unfortunate they had to make this decision," Mr Kinley said.

"The club has not sat back and just done nothing. They have played a very active role in doing what they have had to do."

Overall, player numbers had grown by 3% last year, so the players were there, Mr Kinley said.

The club had Otago representatives Jonathan Ruru, Craig Millar and Hisa Sasagi in its squad and the trio would be looking to play elsewhere.