Stags walking-wounded after shield challenge loss
“There are four or five in doubt, so we’ll see how we get through in the next few days. We’ve obviously got some depth there and it’s just next guy up."
Wellington 39 (Pepesana Patafilo, Caleb Delany, Riley Higgins, Dominic Ropeti, Connor Garden-Bachop, Josh Southall tries; Tjay Clarke pen, 3 con)Southland 17 (Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa, Leroy Ferguson, Gabriel Hamer-Webb tries; Greg Dyer con). HT: 17-7.
The Southland Stags loose forward depth looks set to be tested with the team left wounded following its Ranfurly Shield loss to Wellington on Saturday afternoon.
Stags co-coach James Wilson confirmed they have “four or five” players now in doubt for the Donald Stuart Memorial Trophy clash against Otago on Saturday night in Dunedin.
No 8 Dylan Nel left the field with an injury in the first half against Wellington and his replacement Semisi Tupou-Ta'eiloa then followed him for an HIA.
Tupou-Ta'eiloa failed the HIA assessment and played no further part in the game.
“It’s obviously not ideal for us having two eights down before halftime. They are huge,” Wilson said.
A failed HIA assessment means a mandatory 12-day stand down although that can be appealed.
It would be a significant blow for the Stags if they were to lose both Nel and Tupou-Ta'eiloa for the Otago clash given their importance in providing some go-forward.
Jacob Coghlan is the other No 8 option in the Stags squad and might now find himself in line for a shot at Otago.
Fullback Rory van Vugt was another to fail an HIA assessment on Saturday.
“There are four or five in doubt, so we’ll see how we get through in the next few days. We’ve obviously got some depth there and it’s just next guy up.
“All loose forwards are in with a crack. All the loose forwards we have in our squad are definitely pencilled in at the moment.”
Wilson acknowledged there were some positives in the 39-17 loss to Wellington but needed to be better when it comes to finishing opportunities.
“We obviously reviewed Northland and the lack of play there [in that game]. It was a great opportunity for us to get up to Wellington and play some rugby and we were forced into it with the wind, it was very strong.
“There was great stuff in that first half, the boys showed some intent, but we did fall away in the second half, more so around that breakdown area. They were very good at slowly the ball down.
“And just costly errors, we turned the ball over I think about 18 times. It all adds up. Obviously defensively they made about eight- or nine-line breaks.
“Their post contact metres, we are riding them too much and not chopping.”
Let’s finish on a high moment though by pointing out the dominant Stags scrum. The first half scrum demolition that led to a Stags try was a thing of beauty.
Southland now eyes Otago in an important showdown on Saturday night to both record a much-needed confidence-boosting win, as well as putting in a fitting performance on the annual Stag Day outing.