Otago's Ranfurly Shield tenure may have been brief, but there are some positives to be taken from a memorable nine days, writes ODT Online rugby contributor Jeff Cheshire.
The Crowd
We all knew it was going to be crazy, but the atmosphere at this game was simply beyond electric. It is a long time since we have seen this sort of crowd at an Otago game, or at any game in Dunedin for that matter. You would have to go back to the games of the late 1990s at Carisbrook to mirror something that approached what was a very full, very vocal crowd that showed that there is still plenty of passion for provincial rugby.
It was great to see and it will do wonders for the Otago Rugby Union getting that many people through the gates. Wouldn't it be great to keep getting crowds like that for the rest of the season?
The Local Factor
One of the best things about the past week is the number of local players in this Otago set-up. They are not a team of players bought in from other provinces, or players that only play representative rugby and little else.
They are a team made up essentially of club players that rugby followers in Otago are able to go and watch play at their local ground. Many of these boys have grown up in the region and have made names for themselves throughout the age grades. Even most of the out-of-towners have had a few seasons in the local club rugby competition.
This makes it all the more special, as they are players that the community know and can relate to, as opposed to, say, the Highlanders, who, while a team we all support, do not have that same grassroots feel to them. As well as this, these are players who have felt the same pain of Shield losses as the rest of us over the years, making it all the more special for them to be the ones to finally win it.
A Group of Promising Players
Following up from that last point, don't forget that these are also a young group of players. Give them a few seasons together at this level and they will get a lot better and have a shot at competing with the top teams in the country. That there are so many local players makes this more likely too, as these players are more likely to stick around, rather than go elsewhere or return home.
Never Say Die Attitude
It was disappointing to lose the Shield, but it was good to see that Otago didn't go down without a fight. At 20-9 down it looked like a long way back, but a spirited last 20 minutes saw the team gain the upper-hand once more and come within a point of winning. On another day certain things may have gone their way and they would have done enough to win, on this occasion they didn't, but that's rugby. They showed tremendous fight to put themselves into this position and can walk away with their heads held high. Who knows, they may get another crack at Hawkes Bay later in the season.
The Monkey Is Off The Back
At the very least, at least now we can now all say we have seen Otago win the Ranfurly Shield. Whether they kept it for nine days, nine weeks or nine years, they have won it and their name is on the trophy. They will be remembered as heroes, the team that finally broke the hoodoo and will ensure that next time they play for it, they will not do so under the same pressure the teams of the past 20 years have felt.
