ODT Rugby Chat: Pair in strong form
On ODT Rugby Chat this week, brought to you by Garador, form duo Charlie Breen and Louis Lepionka give us some insight into their strong recent performances.
Breen talks about Kaikorai's big win over Harbour, after a shaky start, while Lepionka gives us his take on Dunedin's tight win over Southern.
We find out about their rugby journeys so far, their progression from their club's colts teams last year, and what they are aspire to.
We discover Lepionka has signed with Southland and try to find out why.
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Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Teams jostle for a top-six spot
The wrap Last weekend proved we still have a genuine contest for the "mythical six" as Varsity routed Green Island at the Toolbox. The Bookworms flew out to a big lead which Green Island couldn't chase down in the second half. Predictably, Kaik put on a big score against AU on the high veldt but the Ponies showed some life of their own by running in four tries to snatch their second point of the season. In the game of the round at the Eelpit, Taieri got up with a last gasp penalty to beat Harbour. Harbour coach Pete McIntyre now has to take an oxygen tank and mask to games to keep his heart supplied. For the second week in a row they've lost the game in the last seconds to a mind-numbingly stupid penalty. Dunedin remain on top of the ladder and retained the Speight's Challenge Shield when they put away Zingari with comparative ease in blizzard-like conditions at Shark Park. The top seven teams are separated by seven points, and three teams — Southern, GI and Harbour — are on the same points. It'll take the full round robin to sort out the final six standing. This weekend is a debacle As I write this (Thursday afternoon) a lot of clubs are not sure if they can field teams this weekend. We have two Prem teams squaring off at Logan Park (No 6) tonight. I don't remember a Prem game being played on an outside ground on a Friday night for years. We have the insanity of the Prem Women having a semifinal being played tomorrow night at the same venue. Have you seen how bad the forecast is for the next couple of days? Well, imagine playing at night as well! Why, may you ask? Well Varsity exams are on this weekend and next week before that institution shuts down for four weeks. The university now seems to be scheduling more exams at night and on the weekends. While it is their right to schedule exams anytime they like, have they really considered the wellbeing of their sports-minded students? From memory, student numbers have fallen dramatically over the past few years, so it can't be the pressure of too many students. Isn't our current vice-chancellor a former minister of sport? If rugby is facing this crisis I assume netball, hockey and basketball will be having the same dilemmas. There must be a way to resolve this? How about this for a radical idea — perhaps the ORFU board may want to help us out? Could they not sit with Grant Robertson and his team to find a way forward? Surely we can educate our future leaders and let them play sport at the same time? I'm happy to chair the meeting. On a cold Friday night Speaking of cold Friday nights at Logan Park No 6, I was there last week supervising at a Junior Colts game between the Dunedin Tigers v Kaikorai Undertakers. Let me assure you, it was bloody freezing, so you can imagine my amazement when a sturdy streaker leapt out of the gloom at halftime and stormed towards halfway. The Tigers' diminutive replacement halfback "Jack" then chased him down in a stirring sprint and bowled him over in a pile of mud, much to the enjoyment of both teams and the hardy souls in the crowd. Sadly that was Jack's best tackle of the night as the Tigers were second-best. Down on the farm Well the Topp Cup has found a new home after Central got up in a cliffhanger over South Otago at Meads Birthday Weekend — great work, lads. One question though; why was there no rugby played in the North or the Deep South? They don't play much rugby now, so you'd think the players would want to take every opportunity to suit up. Can somebody explain? Women's semis Yes, you have read that correctly, the Women's semifinals are on this weekend. It is only a five-team comp and the four finalists have been found. Top seed Alhambra Union take on Big River Country in one semi. In the other second-seeded Dunedin take on Varsity. AU should be too strong for the South Otago girls and will make the final with ease. In the other semi both teams have beaten each other over the last few weeks. In a weird quirk Dunedin and Varsity played each other last weekend and will back up again tomorrow night. Dunedin won by eight last week, and with the bigger pack in the wet conditions may be too strong for Varsity. AU and Dunedin have met in the last three finals, so no surprises there! This weekend Destroyed Thorn Parkes last week and he finishes his run with a -15 differential, so sadly no real challenge. On to Llew Johnson also from the Volts who boasts a +20 differential — I can't believe that. My work is cut out for me. Tonight the Sharks and Kaik go to it at 6.30pm at Logan Park 6 (behind the Cale), so if you're passing call in. Both teams are in form, and Kaik won the first-round encounter, but I'm picking Dunedin (13+) with their bigger pack may just wear down Kaikorai in the heavy conditions. GI (13+) storm down to the Pony Pit on Saturday and will stampede through AU to grab the much-needed five points. In the closest game of the round, Varsity (13+) host Taieri and it's nearly too close to call. Varsity were good last week and the Eels do what they do, find a way to win. I need the points, so Varsity get up big late! In the last game, Zingers are at home to a rampant Southern (13+) and this only goes one way. I was too good for the South's favourite son Ernie Muir last week. Up against Otago great Wally Lees this week, and he got first pick so I'm really struggling — but you never know. Alex (13+) are at home to Arrowtown and could win comfortably, but I'm praying the Bulls just stay in the fight long enough. Wakatipu (12-) should be too strong for Matak in the Basin but the Omakau lads will be in the fight for some time. They won their last game so will give the big city boys a fright — get into them boys! Upper Clutha (13+) are the champions elect and should dispatch neighbours Cromwell with consummate ease.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Initiative ‘fantastic' chance to learn
John Marrable is always looking for ways to improve. The Dunedin para athlete recently wrapped up his time as part of the second intake for the para sport collective, a Paralympics New Zealand initiative to provide more support for athletes. The collective involved three in-person camps and monthly Zoom sessions over the past year, with topics including skills, nutrition, mental resilience, recovery and injuries. A range of sports, including shooting, taekwondo, equestrian, snowboarding and swimming were covered. Marrable was one of three table tennis players among the cohort, and each athlete worked through personalised performance programmes. "I'm grateful to Table Tennis New Zealand for putting my name forward to be part of the para sport collective and also the New Zealand coach John Tuki,"Marrable said. "They've been really good support." Marrable, who has been involved in para sport since an accident as a child left him in a wheelchair, relished being part of the collective and listening to Paralympians share their stories. "I've been involved in para sport almost ever since I had an accident, so a lot of it was great to get reinforced where I'm heading and then also up-skilled with a lot of the changes in dietary requirements or that type of thing." Programmes such as the para collective were important for all athletes but especially in para sport as there was the "added challenge of having your disability or impairment". Being able to bounce ideas off athletes who fundamentally understood what others went through, and had various different strategies for travelling with additional equipment or helping their bodies respond in different situations, was invaluable. "It was just fantastic meeting other like-minded people." Marrable is part of the New Zealand para table tennis development squad and hopes to be included in the Oceania championships in Auckland later this year. He is also a seventh dan in karate. "The two sports really go hand in hand, because through the karate you're doing your stretching, your aerobic work, plus reaction time. "Then of course with the table tennis I'm doing the ball skills and stretching." Marrable has tried his hand at countless sports through the years. He felt New Zealand had always had great representation at the Paralympics and world championships. But there had been great improvements across the board, and ParaFed Otago and the Halberg Foundation played a big role in helping get more youth involved. "As the sports improved, the athletes have had to improve and really it's people's attitude as well. "Not the athletes or the coaches... but sometimes people didn't really think that the paras were serious athletes. "I think sometimes that can affect the athlete and that's, again, knowing that the opportunities are there. "Any sport you can think of can be adapted." Dunedin was fortunate to have a good athletics programmes through Athletics New Zealand para lead Raylene Bates, and strong wheelchair rugby and table tennis programmes, he said.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
ODT Rugby Chat: Referees aiming high
On ODT Rugby Chat this week, brought to you Garador, we move from players to referees and talk to two of Otago's best in Erin Doherty and Jackson Brierly. We talk to Erin about her eight years refereeing in the province, becoming an established Premier grade referee and her debut in Super Rugby Aupiki this year. We ask up-and-comer Jackson about his journey with the whistle from a 14-year-old in Northland to Otago, and where he hopes to take it. We check in on crowd behaviour towards referees and whether the judicial system works in Dunedin. We find out which games they are doing this weekend and try to squeeze some predictions out of them.
