There is a particular feeling that is hard to describe.
It is one that anyone who has experienced a near miss will recognise; a situation that could have easily turned bad and, at the last moment, for whatever reason, didn't.
The moment I'm talking about is that one just after such a near miss. Just after the rope tightened during a bungy jump and you realise you're not going to die.
It's a feeling of mainly relief followed by a strange and exciting feeling of being alive.
That is, in a way, very similar to how I feel at the moment. As I'm sure do the majority of Otago residents and supporters.
An important difference to note here is that this calamity wasn't evaded by mere luck or chance, but by hard work and sacrifice from many people involved with Otago rugby.
People like Rob Nichol from from the NZRPA, Warren Alcock, Steve Tew from the NZRU. The hard decisions made by Mayor Dave Cull and the DCC, DVML, BNZ, Jeremy Curragh et al. So much work has gone on behind the scenes to reach this deal and it should be applauded.
We as a union now have the opportunity to start afresh. A rejuvenated era of Otago rugby.
One where the 22 players on the field are once again just an extension of the greater Otago rugby community. This team does not belong to anyone, it belongs to everyone.
It is important to stress that it still is a very challenging time for rugby in Otago. It is essential that we all pull together now and do our separate parts in order to form a strong, whole and healthy rugby union for the future of rugby in this region.
As players we need to form a strong, cohesive unit that will be competitive during the ITM Cup.
All club players vying for an opportunity to represent the union; now is the time to do just that.
As a community, we need to continue to support community rugby, club games, school games, the Highlanders and Otago.
Rugby, as part of the community, is what makes New Zealand unique. It is what sets this country apart from the rest.
It is what makes a country of 4 million able to be world champion. Professionalism has brought with it many new challenges but also many opportunities.
I believe that the only way New Zealand will remain the dominant rugby country in the world is by everyone pulling together and uniting in a shared goal.
Here's to a successful 2012 and beyond for the ORFU.
• Eben Joubert is the Otago rugby captain. He is based in England for three months, catching up with family and working on his MBA.
