Most of Southland’s best players did have a chance to impress the Southland Stags coaches last Wednesday night when they were placed into two mixed teams for a trial game at Les George Oval.
The teams included some of the Dunedin-based Southland academy players such as Gregor Rutledge, Jay Reihana and Brock Reid.
The match provided some good rugby, and resulted in Team Withy beating Team de Groot 31-24.
Teenaged Woodlands halfback Koen Rarere impressed, as did another youngster from the Star club, Sam Mustchin, at second five.
The Southland Country sub-union rugby teams played two games each in Mossburn on Saturday. The Southland Country squad of 38 players was selected afterwards. The squad features 20 players from the Eastern Northern Barbarians team and their coach, AJ Aitken.
The Barbarians are unbeaten after six rounds of the premier grade competition. One of their best this year has been hooker Liam Ferguson. Ferguson also impressed playing for Team de Groot last Wednesday night.
Barbarians prop Morgan Mitchell has recently decided to make himself unavailable for Stags selection this year after playing 84 games for Southland from 2014 to 2025.
The Barbarians will play Pirates Old Boys at Surrey Park in Invercargill tomorrow. POB will be without their own in-form hooker Shaun Kempton, who was injured in the game on Wednesday night.
Invercargill Blues will host Marist in Appleby, and Star and Woodlands are at Waverley Park. — John Langford
