The Bush Pigs, Otago’s under-85kg team, advanced to round two of the New Zealand Barbarians under-85kg tournament with a 25-16 away win over the Pleasant Point Mud Dogs in early June.
They play the Lincoln Short-Finned Eels in the first of four games at the venue tomorrow. Kick-off is at 10.30am.
The junior colts final between the Kaikorai Undertakers and the Kaikorai Cobras is up next.
Otago Boys’ High School and Southland Boys’ High School will then play in the final of the Otago premier schools competition.
Southland Boys’ recorded a comfortable 34-10 win over King’s High School in one semifinal, while Otago Boys’ edged John McGlashan College 26-17 in the other.
The teams are usually stacked with future professional players, so it is an opportunity to see them early in their career.
The last game is the match-up between the Kaikorai Devils and the Dunedin Makos in the premier colts final.
All four games will be live-streamed at the odt.co.nz website.
The New Zealand Barbarians under-85kg tournament is in its third year, but this is the first year it has been open to teams from the South Island.
Otago has put together a pretty useful squad.
Kaikorai intercept king Jordan McEntee has been named on the left wing and there is a strong Southern influence with Magpies trio Riku Kitahara (first five-eighth), Jack Leslie (second five-eighth) and Josh Buchan (centre) linking up in the backline.
There is talent on the bench as well in the form of Magpies utility back Mackenzie Haugh and Taieri playmaker Taine Craig-Ranga.
Manager Thomas Grant said the tournament had been fitted in around club rugby but would pick up pace now the club season was over.
If the Bush Pigs are able to beat what is expected to be a slick Lincoln side, they will host the winner of the Wellington region final next weekend. Get past Wellington and there is a trip to Hamilton in the offing.
"That would be a quarterfinal," Grant said.
"The final is at Eden Park as a curtain-raiser for Auckland v Southland on September 17."
Rugby finals
FB Stadium, tomorrow
10.30am: Under-85kg, Carisbrook Bush Pigs v Lincoln Short-Finned Eels
12.30pm: Junior colts final, Kaikorai Undertakers v Kaikorai Cobras
2.10pm: Otago premier schools final, Otago Boys’ v Southland Boys’
3.50pm: Premier colts final, Kaikorai Devils v Dunedin Makos
