Saunders: Club rugby improving, but not where it needs to be
“Some of the games are really high in intensity, which is good to see. It’s nice and physical, but we just want to keep seeing a lift in the skillset."
Matt Saunders is happy with some of the physicality shown in games but concedes the conditioning and skill level in club rugby isn’t where it needs to be.
Southland’s 2023 premier club rugby competition has reached the halfway point, in terms of the regular season.
Saunders - Rugby Southland’s director of rugby - has a mixed take on what he’s seen to date but is pleased with the improvement shown from week one to now.
Club rugby is an important tool for the Stags decision-makers as they build towards the 2023 NPC campaign.
“It is defiantly improving. I don’t know what it was at the start, maybe it was unlucky with some of the matchups, and some teams were really organized, and some weren’t.
“It’s starting to level up now, which is quite nice.”
“Some of the games are really high in intensity, which is good to see. It’s nice and physical, but we just want to keep seeing a lift in the skillset.
“The conditioning is not there and that is what we went out to the clubs at the start of the year about, but it was a bit late. Hopefully from next season we’ll try and give it as much help as we can.
“Generally we are not conditioned enough to play 80 minutes of hard club footy across the board.”
“I watched a game this morning and it’s probably not where we need to be, but we’ve just got to keep lifting the standard and think outside the square to see how we can get the standard up.”
Saunders said it was important to do that to ensure the Southland players had the best chance possible to make it when they got to that NPC level.
“It’s hard for them when they get to the end of the year and they go into the NPC and it’s a massive lift, and hence the injury tolls.”
“Some of the [club] games, of late, have been right where we need them to be which is great.”
The Stags had locked in a good chunk of its contracted players in before the club season started with other spots left open to see how certain players progressed.
The next six to eight weeks will be key in rounding out the 2023 Stags squad, Saunders says.
“There are guys in the high-performance group who have really put their hand up, we are looking to reward them soon hopefully. I want name them, but there’s some guys that have done exactly what we’ve asked of them.”
Some positions they are flush with options others there is some real concern and they will need recruits from outside the club scene. Lock is one of those positions.
Josh Bekhuis and Mike McKee have been signed but there are not too many other locking options running around club rugby.
James Koro - cousin of Lima Sopoaga - has arrived in Southland after a stint playing in Spain and will line up for Star in an attempt to put his best case forward for one of the locking openings.
Marist’s Hunter Areaiiti-Burgess has shown plenty of promise but is in his first year out of school and has plenty of work to do before playing at NPC level.
Saunders admits they’ll need to look outside the province at options but even that has some challenges given globally there seemed to be a shortage of quality locks.
There is a real emphasis this season being put on the Town-Country fixture at King’s Birthday Weekend.
Saunders hopes that will be a step up in level from club rugby and will be a good chance to have a look at players at that next level.
On top of a senior men’s Town-Country fixture, there will be senior women’s and colts games played.
Meanwhile Southland’s three premier club games this week will be played on Thursday night to free up the open weekend of duck shooting for players, officials, and supporters.
Marist and Pirates-Old Boys will square-off at Rugby Park in Invercargill, Woodlands will host Blues and Star will head to Gore to take on the top-of-the-table Eastern-Northern Barbarians.
Midlands has the bye.