Otago - NPC News
	No consolation in heroic challenge By Brent Edwards Christchurch: This was another result to torment Otago players and fans, who must now wonder whether the Ranfurly Shield is destined to return to the province in their lifetimes. Canterbury won a Saturday night classic 29-26, left wing Caleb Ralph scoring the winning try from an Andrew Mehrtens half-break four minutes from the end. But the score-line hardly mattered to the distraught Otago players as they trudged to the sanctuary of the dressing-room where, in private, they could share their crushing disappointment. What mattered was the result: a loss, another loss, the 17th consecutive loss since Otago last held the shield in 1957. It was no consolation this was by far Otago's best performance of the season. It was no consolation this match will be rated one of the shield epics. It was no consolation Otago could offer the excuse that its challenge was doomed after injuries sidelined Kees Meeuws and John Blaikie, two of its experienced tight five, in the first 12 minutes. What mattered when they boarded their plane for Dunedin yesterday morning was that they did so empty-handed. Otago did enough to at least draw the game and its all-guns-blazing, heroic challenge made some of its dismal form this season even more inexplicable. The injuries to Meeuws and Blaikie meant New Zealand Colts Carl Hayman and Filipo Levi had to play most of the game - which they did heroically - but it also meant Otago had no tight forward bench to use in the gruelling final passage. Carl Hoeft also limped off with a knee injury in the final minutes and captain Kelvin Middleton had to pack down at loose-head prop for the final two scrums, for which golden-oldies rules were used. In contrast, Canterbury was able to use All Blacks Mark Hammett and Greg Feek as substitutes for the final 30 minutes and the strength and depth of its bench proved critical in the final analysis. While Otago conceded an early try - when Canterbury counter-attacked from a turnover and right wing Marika Vunibaka sprinted away - it soon struck back. Both times it was through the class and vision of fullback Justin Swart. Hayden Reid scored the first after Swart chipped, gathered and saw Reid unmarked outside him. The second was even more spectacular, Swart kicking ahead from 60m out, gathering the bounce, evading Justin Marshall and sprinting for the corner. Ahead 18-14 at half-time, Otago extended its lead three minutes into the second spell, Pita Alatini playing dummy-half from a ruck and Byron Kelleher dummying to Tony Brown before pinning his ears back and sprinting 22m to the corner. When Brown, amid a crescendo of booing, landed a 42m penalty after 16 minutes to extend the lead to 26-14, it seemed the shield could be on its way south. There were nervous Canterbury faces, in the stands, terrace and press box, but their hopes were soon revived. Four minutes later Brown missed touch with a left-footed clearance, Ben Blair launched a counter-attack and Vunibaka ran 30m at an angle, beating Brown's final tackle, to score in the corner. Canterbury had a sniff and, when Blair landed a simple penalty, the deficit had been trimmed to four points. Otago continued to hoe away courageously but little things began to go wrong. On hot attack, Josh Kronfeld collided with Brendan Laney and Otago was penalised for running interference - a correct decision, but a cruel one. That enabled Canterbury to relieve the pressure and, when Kelleher was penalised for playing the ball on the ground, Mehrtens plugged the ball into the Otago 22. It was from there that Canterbury, patiently, methodically, built the series of phases from which Ralph broke Reid's tackle for the match-winning try. The Otago pack played with a passion not seen previously this season. Anton Oliver (except in line-out throwing) and Taine Randell were magnificent, Kronfeld forced Canterbury to turn over possession more than it had all season, Middleton put his body on the line time and again and Simon Maling, who became the senior lock, responded like a champion. Levi made tackle after tackle but so did most of the Otago players, including Kelleher, who discovered his best form of the season. The Otago midfield defensive screen was strong and well-organised, Swart showed his class but what Otago did lack - in comparison to Canterbury - was express pace on the wings. This was not one of Canterbury's best displays as it was forced into numerous errors but it did well to hold its composure when lesser sides would have buckled. Todd Blackadder maintained a huge work rate, Vunibaka and Ralph showed there is no substitute for speed and Blair again showed his ability as a lethal counter-attacker. So, another Otago shield challenge ended in failure, if you could call 19 players playing themselves to a standstill failure. What did Otago do, so long ago, to offend Lord Ranfurly?

 
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