John McGlashan College was crowned Otago premier schools champion after beating South Otago High School on Saturday.
The game was played in bitterly cold conditions at McGlashan. The host side scored three tries to South Otago's one in an enthralling match, but had to overturn a 14-5 deficit in the final 20 minutes to clinch the ODT Cup.
''To win a contest like that, in the end, is a huge credit to the boys,'' John McGlashan coach John Kyle said.
The team had only conceded 14 tries during the regular season, and Kyle was quick to praise the scrambling effort that limited South Otago to a sole try, which came from a charged down kick.
''That's been our huge thing all year. Defence equals character, and that's the signature we wanted to leave,'' he said.
Kyle was also pleased with his team's character to fight back from 14 5 down after South Otago hooker Brady Robertson pounced with about 20 minutes to play.
McGlashan substitute Morgan Jones sparked the comeback when he somehow grounded the ball despite being twisted and turned in a gang tackle.
Pivot Daine Lowery converted the try and added a 35m penalty a couple of minutes later to put his side 15 14 ahead with 15 minutes to play.
- Video courtesy Bradley Leydon
The points blitz continued a few minutes later when second five eighth Reece Stackhouse crashed over under the posts courtesy of a swift backline move.
South Otago centre Matt Whaanga knocked over his fourth penalty with just over a minute to play to give his team a glimmer of hope, but McGlashan held on in front of a good crowd.
The final 20 minutes was a stark contrast to the first half, when McGlashan was playing into the stiff southerly breeze. Its only points of the first half came in the second minute when co captain Rory Ferguson went over after a smart lineout move.
Whaanga landed three penalties to give South Otago a 9-5 lead at the break, but his team missed a couple of a golden opportunities to build a lead with the wind at its back.
The most glaring opportunity arose when a loose McGlashan pass at midfield led to a Whaanga break. He fed winger Oscar Goodlet 22m out, but McGlashan scrambled brilliantly to drag him down centimetres short of the line.
Despite playing into the wind and only trailing by four points at halftime, Kyle was not pleased at the break.
''We weren't happy with the first half performance. We made too many mistakes and we got rattled,'' he said.
''We didn't maintain enough composure and really we were a bit disappointed despite the fact we turned around with the wind at our backs in the second half.''
South Otago coach Adam Whaanga rued a couple of missed opportunities in the second half, but said John McGlashan was the ''deserved winner''.
''In that last 20, they played really well,'' Whaanga said.
''They put us under pressure and we couldn't get out of our half. It wasn't really the wind, it was more our decision making. We made two wrong decisions. We probably should have pushed territory but we tried to run it.''
In the other games, Otago Boys' Second XV beat Waitaki Boys' High School 31-19, Dunstan High School beat King's High School 17-13, Kavanagh College beat Taieri College 17-7, and Otago Boys' Third XV beat West Otago 47-14.
Premier schools final
The scores
John McGlashan College 22
Rory Ferguson, Morgan Jones, Reece Stackhouse tries; Daine Lowery 2 con, pen
South Otago High School 17
Brady Robertson try; Matt Whaanga 4 pen
Halftime: South Otago 9-5.
