Defaults mar club comps in the South

Bob Perriam
Bob Perriam
Three weeks into the club rugby season and there has already been six defaulted games in the top grades in the South.

Clubs are struggling for players, despite offering work opportunities and accommodation. But work commitments and injuries are taking their toll.

In Central Otago, Matakanui Combined have defaulted two games so far. The club failed to front in its first game of the season against Arrowtown and then defaulted its game against Alexandra last Saturday.

In Southland, there were two defaulted games last Saturday.

Riversdale failed to field a side against Invercargill Blues, while Pirates Old Boys did not put a team on the paddock against Star, as it had five injured front-rowers. Riversdale was forced to default as it had injured players and other players off deer hunting.

In the previous week, Waikaka had defaulted to Blues because of injured players.

That had led to Blues only having played one game after three rounds, with some criticism coming from the Blues club about the attitude taken by the defaulted sides.

In North Otago, Athletic Marist defaulted its games against Old Boys on March 30 as work commitments ruled players out.

Its game against Valley last Saturday kicked off at the later time of 4.30pm so more players could turn out for the Athletic Marist club after finishing work on Friday.

Otago Country chairman Bob Perriam said Matakanui Combined was disappointed to default the game last Saturday against Alexandra, but there was little it could do. The Otago Country board and administration had been working hard to get some players for the club and the club was looking for players.

It could offer jobs and accommodation to prospective players. Clubs which had high numbers of players were prepared to assist Matakanui Combined in fielding a team, but that was not always practical.

The Matakanui side was due to take on Maniototo in Ranfurly on Saturday, which may make it hard to draw spare players from clubs in the Queenstown Lakes area.

North Otago chief executive Colin Jackson said these were changing times and clubs and the union were aware of what had to be done. Many players worked on Saturdays and if moving the game to a later time helped the game get played then that had to be done.

The Southland premier competition has moved from six teams to 12, bringing in mostly country-based clubs to the top division.

That was always going to test depth, although Pirates Old Boys is a club based in Invercargill which played in the premier competition last year.

Southland chief executive Brian Hopley could not be contacted yesterday.

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