Kieran McClea described it as an interesting journey. The Otago halfback does have the habit of popping up where he is needed. Last year that was Mid Canterbury, who went unbeaten to win the Meads Cup. Last week it was Palmerston North. He added a spark in the final quarter of the game to help Otago sneak a 29-27 win against Manawatū. And he has done a lot of moving around in between. The 28-year-old hails from Ashburton but was a boarder at Waitaki Boys’ High School and got his first provincial opportunity for North Otago in 2018. He played a couple of games that year. McClea, who works in the finance industry when not playing professional rugby, studied commerce in Dunedin and has clocked more than 50 games for the University club. He got an opportunity for Otago in 2022 and made his debut off the bench in a 27-20 win against Waikato. But the game time dried up and he headed to the United States to play in the Major League Rugby competition. He had a stint with the New England Free Jacks before moving to the Utah Warriors the following season. Otago’s halfback stocks took a hammering during the off-season. Dylan Pledger picked up a serious injury, and Nathan Hastie and Bob Martin moved on. McClea and Joel Lam have filled those vacancies and they are locked in a battle for the starting spot. McClea got the nod this week for the match against Wellington at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Sunday. “It is good if you’ve got someone nipping at your heels the whole time, and I'm sure he'd say the same,” McClea said. “It just makes you better.” That competition extends beyond the rugby paddock. “We get on pretty well and get out on the golf course a wee bit.” Lam has the edge on the course, but there is not much between them on the rugby field. They have a clear brief from coach Mark Brown and a licence to play their natural game. That game plan can be summed up quite neatly. "Play fast,’’ McClea said. “And keep us balanced.” Otago are at their best when they are attacking. That does not always mean spinning the ball. A timely box kick can be potent as well. But McClea’s first instinct is to push the pass or take on the line if the defence is not set. “Especially under the roof here, like, let's just play quick.” “If it's quick ball, I want to go. “I've got an awesome forward pack and an awesome backline, so I've just got to be the one in between, you know, linking them together. "So, it’s just understanding the feel of the game, whether we've got that momentum and we can play on top and keep attacking. "Or maybe we've had a couple of negative carries, and we just need to put the pressure back on them by putting those box kicks up and getting the likes of Jae [Broomfield], who's awesome under them, so he can get us a few extra possessions.” Wellington have posted three straight losses, so they will be desperate to get their campaign back on track. The Mike Gibson Memorial is also up for grabs. NPC The teams Otago: Sam Nemec-Vial, Jae Broomfield, Josh Timu, Jake Te Hiwi, Jona Nareki, Cameron Millar, Kieran McClea, Christian Lio-Willie (captain), Lucas Casey, Oliver Haig, Joseva Tamani, Will Stodart, Rohan Wingham, Henry Bell, Benjamin Lopas. Reserves: Nic Souchon, Marley Pearce, Moana Takataka, Harry Irving, Slade McDowall, Joel Lam, Patrick Pellegrini, Matt Whaanga. Wellington: Jordan Soli, Isi Saumaki, Jackson Ropata, Divad Palu, Reo Matsushita, Cam Burgess, Logan Henry, Matolu Petaia, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Caleb Delany, Hugo Plummer, Johnny Falloon, Alex Hewitt, James O’Reilly, Geordie Bean. Reserves: Penieli Poasa, Jake Turnbull, Samuela Tawaka, Murphy Taramai, Dominic Ropeti, Riley Williams, Piri Paraone, Matt Proctor.
