Sav's Sidelines: Exciting prospect breaks leg in cruel blow
Sav's Sidelines - the weekly column that looks at all things Southland rugby, from the grassroots to the professional game.
Rugby can be cruel and unfortunately, this week’s Sav’s Sidelines column covers off a notable injury to one of Southland rugby’s more exciting prospects.
The column also takes a look at the Southland-Otago Development game played in Dunedin, assesses the Rugby Park entertainment on Saturday night, and looks back close to 20 years ago when Kane Thompson had to stretch the truth a little to remain with the Stags.
SBHS first XV coach Jason Dermody again goes bat for his players, in regard to national selection, and to top it off let’s look back at the Southland-Northland Div 2 NPC semifinal played 30 years ago.
Exciting prospect breaks leg in cruel blow…
Southland Under -19 was toppled 59-29 by Otago in Dunedin on Saturday but that 30-point loss wasn’t actually the lowlight of the day.
One of Southland rugby’s more exciting young talents - Josh Augustine - broke his leg and on Sunday morning was preparing for surgery.
Augustine - an outside back - had been training with the Stags last week and by all accounts had impressed with what he was delivering in that environment.
The teenager had earlier got some game time with the Stags in the NPC preseason hitout against Otago in Gore.
Augustine started to stamp his mark playing for Southland U19 against Otago on Saturday and as result, Southland went up early in the contest before Augustine broke his fibula in a tackle.
Southland U19 coach and Rugby Southland academy manager Scott Eade felt for Augustine.
“It’s gutting for him more than anything. There’s obviously a New Zealand Under-19 camp at the end of the year and he was a big candidate for that. Hopefully, he gets the surgery, and it is not a major,” Eade said.
The former Hasting Boys’ High School pupil was part of the New Zealand Barbarians schools team last year before signing a development contract with the Highlanders.
While traditionally those development players also sign with Otago Augustine has chosen Southland for his provincial ties.
Midfielder Tayne Harvey - who last year was part of the New Zealand Secondary Schools - is another North Island player who opted to sign with both the Highlanders and Southland in his first year out of school.
Harvey again impressed for Southland U19 on Saturday in a backline that had its challenges.
At about the same time as Augustine left the field another Southland back was shown a red card for an alleged punch meaning Southland was forced to play with 14 players for 20 minutes.
Despite trailing just 19-17 at halftime, and still within striking distance at 31-22 with about 20 minutes to play, the wheels did fall off a little for Southland and they eventually lost 59-29.
“It’s a 30-point loss, but we can beat them. There was enough out of it that I feel if we can tidy up a couple of areas, I think we can give them a shake,” Eade said.
The two U19 teams will go at it again in Invercargill on Saturday.
Southland Development comes up short…
There was a lot to like about Southland Development’s shot at Otago Development on Saturday despite coming up short 33-26 in the game played in Dunedin.
Otago Development rolled out a pretty handy lineup which included Highlanders Super Rugby first five-eighth Ajay Faleafaga, who appears to be out of favour when it comes to warranting a spot in the Otago NPC gameday 23.
Lock Will Tucker was another Super Rugby player who pulled on the boots for Otago Development on Saturday.
The two teams traded tries throughout the game with the scores locked up at 12-12 at halftime. The trading of tries continued in the second half.
“It was tit-for-tat the whole time and they scored with about seven minutes to go and then we had a couple of opportunities but couldn’t quite get there,” Southland Development coach Richard Jones said.
“We were in the hunt but it’s small margins and we had to nail some more crucial moments.”
Looseforward Zyon Walters was strong for Southland which included setting up wing Hughan Sharp for a couple of tries.
Fellow loose forward Kaya Symon - who is better known as a hooker - also stepped up physically and was another standout.
In the backline, Kynan Stowers-Smith had a strong game, which is probably timely for him.
With the Stags down on troops through injury the midfielder has spent some time training in the Stags setup.
Southland Development will round out its season with a game against Otago Country in Invercargill on Saturday.
They were scheduled to then play a return match against Otago Development in Invercargill but Otago Development has now pulled the pin on that fixture.
Otago Country beat Southland Country 27-5 in the game played at Edendale on Saturday.
Thumbs up to the fireworks, pass the parcel though?…
Those that hung around at Rugby Park on Saturday night were treated to an impressive fireworks display, arranged as part of ILT’s 80th birthday celebrations.
In fact, most of Invercargill would have caught a glimpse of those fireworks at close to 9.30pm from wherever they were. It was touted as the largest inner city fireworks display in the city for many years and didn’t disappoint.
Well done to all involved for putting it on.
Although with the risk of turning into Negative Noel, the halftime entertainment that was also arranged as part of the birthday celebrations involved a game of pass the parcel.
To be honest, that might not rank as a highlight when looking back at the various halftime entertainment ideas at Rugby Park over the years.
The one-week ‘injury’ that helped Thompson remain a Stags in 2005…
Close to 20 years on Kane Thompson admits he - let’s say - stretched the truth when he enjoyed the Southland Stags so much in 2005 and wanted to stay.
Thompson had joined the Southland Stags as a loan player from Wellington.
He was contracted to Wellington at the time but struggled for game time with new coach John Plumtree believing the young lock was too small.
Wellington agreed to let Thompson head to Southland on loan to provide him some NPC game time, and he quickly found a home in the Stags setup.
“I had a really good time, embraced the culture and good bunch of guys and we had a really strong team,” Thompson told The Roar Podcast.
The problem was, a couple of rounds into the NPC season, Thompson got the call that Wellington had some injuries, and they wanted Thompson back to play for Wellington that weekend.
Wellington had first rights to him at that point, although Thompson wasn’t all that keen to head back to potentially play one game and then return to the sidelines in 2005.
“I think I had an injury that week,” Thompson joked almost 20 years on when explaining how he managed to stay in Southland despite Wellington wanting him back.
He missed a game against Auckland to ensure that injury yarn stacked up and then remained with Southland for the rest of the 2005 season.
Thompson then signed with Southland for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Thompson made a cameo return to the Stags in 2010 as a player and this year has joined Southland as an assistant coach.
‘Thomas Jennings has earned himself a black jersey’…
Regular readers of the Sav’s Sidelines column will be aware Southland Boys’ High School first XV coach Jason Dermody is adamant young prop Thomas Jennings should be part of the New Zealand Secondary Schools team this year.
Last week I wrote how Dermody felt there was something wrong in New Zealand rugby if Jennings and fellow Southland Boys’ prop Presley McHugh aren’t identified for higher honours.
Dermody has doubled down on that and is even more certain Jennings’ name should be included in the New Zealand Secondary Schools team following his performance in the South Island final against Nelson College on Saturday.
“[Prop] Thomas Jennings has earned himself a black jersey. If he doesn’t get a black jersey, they are looking at different things than we are,” Dermody said.
First five-eighth Mika Muliaina is another Southland Boys’ High School player in line for national selection.
Blast from the past…
The Southland Stags will make the trip to Whangarei to play Northland in round 4 of the NPC on Friday night. Let’s turn the clock back 30 years and take a look at 1994 NPC Div 2 semifinal played between the two teams.