Two games in the final week of the Southland premier round robin were to be played last night due to Matariki Weekend.
Marist hosted the Eastern Northern Barbarians at Miller St, while the Blues-Woodlands game was to be played at Les George Oval.
Both Marist and Blues, who were desperate to get a win in their 150th season, were out to earn upset wins in their last games of the year.
Marist had reason to be proud this week when a former player, Lio (Pasilio) Tosi, was selected in the All Blacks squad.
Tosi was a blockbusting 140kg teenager playing at No 8 in Marist’s 2017 and 2018 Galbraith Shield-winning teams. During that era, he also made his Stags debut as a loose forward.
After only featuring as an impact player for the Stags, Lio made the switch to tighthead prop in 2019. His physical size and power allowed him to compete at provincial level while he was still learning the trade.
In 2021 Tosi returned to his family in the Bay of Plenty. After impressing for the Steamers, he was soon picked up by the Hurricanes.
There are other southern links in the All Blacks.
Former Invercargill Marist physio Karl McDonald is the new All Blacks physio, while the two Southland Stags in the squad are loosehead prop Ethan de Groot and new signing Sevu Reece.
Pirates Old Boys will play Star in the only premier game tomorrow.
The 3pm game at Oreti Park is a dead rubber. Star are already the top qualifiers and Pirates Old Boys are second.
The three games to be played in the penultimate round of the division one competition are on Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday afternoon. This will lessen the stress on Southland referee appointments.
The division two quarterfinals will also be played on Saturday afternoon.
- By John Langford
