Otago will get a chance to bring the Ranfurly Shield back to its actual home.
Taranaki started the season with the Log o’ Wood, Waikato had it for a week, and those plucky Southland Stags enjoyed it for a few days before completely crumbling against NPC favourites Canterbury.
Now the best Otago team in two decades will have a crack at New Zealand rugby’s most coveted prize.
They will challenge Canterbury for the shield in Christchurch on Saturday following the holders’ dramatic 31-25 win over neighbours Tasman yesterday afternoon.
Tasman, who won the shield for the first time last year before coughing it up to Taranaki, led 25-24 with seconds to play.
The Mako cleared from a 5m scrum but Canterbury held on to the ball until the 84th minute when, after nearly 20 phases, a good Otago lad — Palmerston product George Bell — crashed over for a try that sealed the defence.
Otago have held the Ranfurly Shield seven times.
Their first success was in 1935, and they famously endured a 56-year drought — 1957 to 2013 — before winning the shield again, sparking delirious celebrations around the province.
Otago won it again in 2018, and had six successful defences, and took it off Taranaki in 2020, but lost it immediately to Hawke’s Bay.
New coach Mark Brown has second-placed Otago humming in the NPC and would no doubt relish taking the shield off the team he formerly co-coached.
Canterbury will be tough, to be fair.
They are a perfect seven from seven in the NPC with a seven-point advantage on the field.
Auckland won a second straight game as they thumped Manawatu 52-29 yesterday, while Counties-Manukau beat Southland 64-10.
On Saturday, Hawke’s Bay beat Bay of Plenty 24-21 to move to third on the table and claim bay bragging rights for the season.
