01-08-2025
Spectacle not lost on 50-cap Stag back
Rory van Vugt. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Southland outside back Rory van Vugt has impeccable timing.
The fullback will bring up his 50th game for the Stags when they host Otago in Invercargill this afternoon.
The fixture has been promoted heavily by Rugby Southland. They are hoping for a crowd of 10,000.
Stag Day has become one of those events Southlanders mark on their calendar.
"The atmosphere is just about the best you can get in terms of provincial rugby," he said.
"The stands and the terraces are quite close to the field, so it definitely amplifies everything for sure."
The crowd lifted Southland to help carry them to a 22-13 win in the fixture last year.
The game is billed as a big brother-little brother battle and this year, the Taylors — Harry and Jack — will go at it again.
Van Vugt is one of the many with mixed loyalties. He was raised in Balclutha, but he has played for Southland since 2018 and has scored 11 tries.
He had a brief stint with the Highlanders in 2022. He played two games and dotted down once.
Van Vugt also had a game for the New Zealand Barbarians in 2023 and got across the chalk in that match as well.
He has spent the last two off-seasons playing for Los Angeles in Major League Rugby.
The competition is undergoing some changes, so van Vugt is unsure whether he will return to the United States.
He is open to another run in Super Rugby and a strong showing for the Stags in his 50th game cannot hurt his prospects.
