Otago have named their strongest possible line-up for their home quarterfinal against Waikato on Friday night.
Coach Mark Brown took the opportunity to rest some of his star players against Auckland on the weekend.
He was rewarded with a clinical performance.
The change-up allowed a few guys who were a ‘‘bit banged up’’ to recover and for Otago to blood three new players - lock Josh Tengblad, hooker A-One Lolofie and midfielder Riley Lucas.
‘‘There was a real edge to the week and those guys duly delivered.’’
Asked if it created a few selection headaches, Brown said ‘‘we’ve had those all year, to be fair’’.
‘‘But we've sort of stuck with the tried and true more or less, because a few of those guys have come back with a real spring in their step after having a week off.’’
The likes of Dylan Pledger, Lucas Casey and Josh Timu return for the playoff match.
Timu has been the rock in the midfield and he is enjoying a relatively injury-free run.
He has stood out for his work on defence. The 28-year-old has made 102 tackles - 11 of them have been registered as dominant.
Pledger has been a revelation at halfback. The speed of his clearance has attracted a lot of attention from those further up the chain of influence.
He also has great vision and his snipping runs around the ruck help keep the defence honest.
Pledger has crossed the line for five tries, but the spotlight has shifted to star openside Casey in recent weeks.
Casey scored two sensational tries in the successful Ranfurly Shield raid in Christchurch last month.
He has seven five-pointers so far this season. His speed and physicality are a potent asset for Otago in the wide channels, where he so often pops up.
Will Stodart failed an HIA in round nine but returns and will join Casey and All Black No 8 Christian Lio-Willie in a dynamic loose forward unit.
That means Oliver Haig will drop to the bench, where he will also cover lock.
Winger Jona Nareki will start in his regular spot on the left wing.
His powerful left boot and ability to get over the ball and snaffle crucial turnovers have been just as handy as his 14 line breaks.
NPC
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Friday, 7.10pm
Otago: Sam Gilbert (captain), Jae Broomfield, Josh Timu, Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Jona Nareki, Cameron Millar, Dylan Pledger, Christian Lio-Willie, Lucas Casey, Will Stodart, Joseva Tamani, Will Tucker, Rohan Wingham, Liam Coltman, Abraham Pole.
Reserves: A-One Lolofie, Benjamin Lopas, Moana Takataka, Oliver Haig, Harry Taylor, Nathan Hastie, Josh Whaanga, Sam Nemec-Vial.
