The second XVs have been booted out, Timaru Boys’ High School is entering the fray, and an extra team from Southland has been invited to join the competition next year.
It is all in reaction to the advent of the South Island boys’ competition, which will usher in a new era in schoolboy rugby when it gets under way next year.
Southern schools Otago Boys’, King’s and Southland Boys’ will compete in the new competition but will remain part of the Southern Schools Rugby Championship.
Otago Secondary Schools Rugby Council chairman Greg Heller said a "considerable amount of work has been done towards the back end of the season and last few weeks with school principals in our region to find a workable competition structure".
"We have worked hard to ensure there is equitable access for school first XVs to participate in meaningful competitions that will allow them to find the right level of participation in a school rugby season."
A key feature of the new competition structure is Otago Boys’, King’s and Southland Boys’ skipping the first round of the SSRC to play in the South Island boys’ competition.
They will be joined by Timaru Boys’, who are switching from the Crusaders region to the Highlanders region.
The remaining 11 southern school first XVs will play in an SSRC qualification tournament, which will comprise 12 teams.
An extra team from Southland will be added to the tournament to make up the 12.
Heller said James Hargest College and Verdon College had been approached and it was possible the schools would form a combined team.
The 12 teams will play a round-robin in two pools of six.
The two top qualifiers from each pool will then be joined by Otago Boys’, King’s, Southland Boys’ and Timaru Boys’ in division 1 of the SSRC.
They will play a round-robin, followed by playoffs in August.
The winner of the division 1 final will play the winner from the Crusaders competition on August 22 to determine the South Island qualifier for the national finals.
The remaining eight first XV teams from the qualification process will play a round-robin as part of the SSRC division 2, which will also culminate in playoffs.
The second XVs from Otago Boys’, Southland Boys’, King’s and John McGlashan have not been included.
"This was due to a clear mandate from the co-ed principals, who felt strongly that as the new structure had been determined by the creation of the South Island first XV boys competition, that any future competition would be for first XV teams only," Heller said.
"We have respected that view and we will now work with the boys' school second XVs in our region to ensure that they have an equitable playing structure."
Otago Rugby Football Union chairman Peter McCormack said the schools were responsible for organising their own competitions.
However, the ORFU board was concerned the original South Island secondary schoolboys proposed competition did not fully align with the purpose of growing and developing the game in an inclusive way.
The board was supportive of the latest position reached, but would be monitoring the new competition "to ensure there are no impacts on participation opportunities for our secondary school-aged players".
