Southern Region Rugby

08/10/2026

31/08/2026

Could we be prouder of Big Jim? Surely not. The Toko legend has only just gone and made the Otago B team!! Massive congrats!!

We are pleased to announce the Otago B Squad for 2026!

Strong talent from across the province coming together in blue and gold.
Good luck to all the players and management for the campaign ahead! 🏉💙

Training starts on Thursday, 6.30pm, Edgar Centre.

29/08/2026

Thanks a lot to Kayla Ann Photography for her continued support of Southern Region Rugby. She would get Supporter of the Year for this page every year!!

29/08/2026

Otago Country’s Tuppy Diack Competiton has ended in frustrating fashion with a 31-29 loss to Southland Country in Mataura. The loss sees Southland Country lock away the Donaghys Shield for the season and leapfrog Otago Country in the final standings.

The first half of the match was uninspiring as both sides made numerous mistakes and unforced errors. Otago Country looked better with ball in hand and when they managed to hold onto the ball for more than three phases they stretched the Southland Country defence. Hard running no8 Conor Lawson in his blazer match was rewarded for his toil with a brace of tries early in the half with the visitors holding a deserved 12-0 lead. Once Southland Country managed to hold onto possession, they also looked dangerous especially out wide. The home side got a try back through elusive winger Banuve Dretiverata to narrow the gap after the successful conversion from Taylor Peterson. The remainder of the half was marred by ill discipline by both sides and numerous handling mistakes whilst hot on attack. Otago Country set up shop in Southland Country’s 22 and forced penalty after penalty. They couldn’t capitalise on their dominance through unforced errors which allowed Southland Country to exit unscathed. Towards the end of the half Southland Country had their turn to pile pressure onto the Otago Country tryline with the same result. Numerous penalties and ill-discipline by the visitors allowed Southland Country to keep the foot on the throat and they finally made it count when winger James Holland crossed in the corner to level the scores. Peterson knocked over what would end up being a hugely important conversion and Southland Country went into halftime 14-12 ahead. That was also what the penalty count was believe it or not.

The second half saw Southland Country begin to pile pressure onto the visitors which resulted in flanker Dean Sinnamon being sent to the sin bin for a fairly innocuous infringement. Southland Country rolled up their sleeves and made the most of their time in the red zone. Winger Dretiverata scored his second of the match to extend Southland Country’s lead. Both sides improved their offloading game in the second half and when the match opened up, they both looked exciting on the counter. Southland Country’s scrum began to take control and really dominate from midway through the half. Otago Country prop Rhys Hughes was sent to the bin for another infringement which left Otago Country down a man again which didn’t help their cause. They did get a try back through winger Harry Walker-Leach before a dominant scrum by the home side saw No8 Brenton Howden score perhaps the easiest try he will ever score. With time almost up on the clock it was Otago Country who scored the final try of the match through replacement James Valentine after a charge down over the try line. The visitors had one more chance to win the match on fulltime, but a lineout went missing and Southland Country took the win.

Southland Country was lucky to escape with no yellow cards, especially in the first half, but were deserved winners, nonetheless. Their forwards set a strong platform on the carry and began to show their power at scrum time. Prop Tom Scanlan showed his scrummaging prowess yet again and was a huge player around the park. Flankers Harrison Morton and Ben Hill carried strongly all match and often broke through the tackle. Jordan Smith at halfback was lively and gave the backline quality seed. Winger Dretiverata was the pick of the backs with his elusive running and speed on the break. A special mention has to go to one of the Southland Country midfielders who perhaps made the play of the game. Otago Country was on a roll and looked to have found space in behind with a kick off the deck, only for one of the Southland Country defenders to stop the promising attack with his face. That is commitment.

Otago Country looked good in patches but will really rue their opportunities that went begging in the first half. Conor Lawson was at his aggressive best on the carry and at times it looked like Southland Country were playing scissors, paper, rock to see who had to tackle him. First five Brayden Laing gave the ball plenty of air and his decision making looked to be almost always on point. Ollie Stirling and Tyler Ford’s rush defence was outstanding and really didn’t give Southland Country much time to make plays.

That brings the end to the Tuppy Diack Competition with Otago Country finishing bottom of the log on points difference. They had one win over Otago Metro North who by my reckoning took out the competition so that is definitely one to remember. This loss to Southland Country will sting for sure, but they will bounce back next season.

26/08/2026

Saturday is a pretty special one for our own Conor Lawson, as he receives his Otago Country blazer 🏉👏

A huge achievement and something that deserves to be celebrated!

Conor will mark the occasion on the field this Saturday 29th August in Mataura, with Otago Country taking on Southland Country.

From all of us at West Taieri, congratulations Conor! What an achievement — we’ll be behind you all the way as you pull on the Otago Country jersey for game #15. 💙💛

If you’re in Mataura, get along and support Conor and the Otago Country boys!

Go well, Conor! 🐷

23/08/2026

19/08/2026

The Otago Metro slayers are at it again this weekend. Can Otago Country make it 2/2 against Big Brother in Omakau?

Big weekend in Omakau on Saturday 22nd August

Otago Country vs Otago Metro South

📍Matakanui Combined Rugby Football Club

11/08/2026

SEASON REVIEW – BIG RIVER COUNTRY

Matches played – 10
Matches won – 6
Matches lost – 3
Matches drawn – 1
Points for – 324
Points against – 235
Biggest win – 74-5 vs Zingari-Richmond
Biggest loss – 64-15 vs Dunedin Ururoa
Tries scored – 55
Conversions – 23
Conversion % - 41.8%
Penalties – 1
Dropped Goals – 0
Av points for – 32.4
Av points against – 23.5
Top points scorer – Abbey Cochrane 50
Top try scorer – Abbey Cochrane & Sasha Scott 8
Position finished – 2nd
Trophies won – Charles Pringle Challenge Trophy & Miller/O’Neill Cup

RESULTS

54-5 win vs Pioneer (pre-season)
64-15 loss vs Dunedin
27-12 win vs University
15-15 draw vs Alhambra-Union
55-0 win vs Zingari-Richmond
43-17 loss vs Dunedin
55-48 loss vs Central Otago (friendly)
27-17 win vs University
34-10 win vs Alhambra-Union
74-5 win vs Zingari-Richmond
33-17 win vs University (semi-final)
52-27 loss vs Dunedin (Final)

THE WRAP

Another belter of a season at Big River Country HQ this season. The side has stepped up another level and has come close to securing their first competition title with another finals’ appearance. A strong pre-season outing against Pioneer gave them some match confidence before running into a brick wall called Dunedin in week one of the competition where they suffered their heaviest loss of the season. This perhaps gave the squad a wakeup call and they knew what level they would have to be at going forward. A strong win over University at Swamp Hen Park was followed up by a hard-fought draw against Alhambra-Union in town. A confidence boosting win over Zingari was followed by another tough test against Dunedin which became a bit of a theme across the season with Dunedin being the only side BRC lost to all season in competition play. A friendly loss to a Central invitational XV at Topp Cup weekend sparked a newfound rivalry which will be exciting to watch going forward. A win against University saw BRC head into the outrageously long holiday break in a good position. After what felt like an eternity, BRC came back from the break with the quality wins over AU and Zingari respectively to earn a home semi-final. BRC kept their 100% win record over University in the semi-final which saw them once again face off against Dunedin in the final. Dunedin were classy and deserved the win but BRC showed ticker and heart right up until the end.

STAND OUTS

Ella Gomez has been a pillar of strength inside the BRC forward pack this season. Ella led from the front with her physicality both on attack and defence. Always a willing ball carrier and never afraid of a big hit on defence or a strong cleanout at ruck time. Ella’s leadership at set piece was crucial at times through the season and her ability to play 80 minutes at the same tempo is a huge plus for her side. Although only rewarded with a single try this season which came in the final, Ella had her hand in many more for her teammates.

Utility back Sasha Scott has had another outstanding season in BRC colours. Sasha is a leader in the BRC backline and her performances this season have been crucial to her sides’ success. On defence, Sasha is always willing to get amongst the action and is usually a brick wall with opposition runners lining her up. On attack, she runs some fantastic lines and often breaks the first tackle and can put her teammates away in space. When she is in open pasture not many can catch her and she has eight tries to her name because of this.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (Unofficial)

BRC blooded plenty of amazing talent this season with the hugely successful SOHS 1st XV injecting a few players here and there to get much needed exposure at the next level. Every single player who donned the BRC jersey stood up. One who looked at home right from the start was Lulu Marshall. Lulu was thrust into the hugely important position of halfback early in the season and hit the ground running. The pace of play from the base of the ruck and the quality of delivery is something Lulu should be extremely proud of. She was always looking for space around the ruck to have a snipe if necessary. On defence, Lulu was one of the smaller players on the field in most matches but her ticker on the tackle was outstanding to see as often she would bring down far bigger baller carriers with ease. A great first up season for BRC and one that will be a great building block for the future.

REP PLAYERS

Firstly, we have to mention how awesome it was to see Tegan Willocks and Leila Hill away with their respective Super Rugby Aupiki squads this year. Tegan migrated North to the Hurricans Poua where she had a standout season in what was the Hurricanes best season by far. Leila was drafted into the Matutu squad and will have no doubt learnt plenty whilst in and amongst the side. The Otago Spirit Premier and Development squads have been named recently with many BRC players getting a deserved call up. For the Premier side, Tegan Willocks, Leila Hill, Sasha Scott, Ella Gomez, and Kayley Johnson have all been selected to continue their Spirit journeys. Samarra Soper, Elri Geldenhuys, and Aimee Johnson have been selected into the Spirit Development squad and will hone their skills with hopes of a crack at the big time at some stage throughout the season.

NEXT SEASON

I can’t speak highly enough about this Big River Country unit. They have an amazing squad of players and a leadership team passionate and committed to their continued improvement. With the finish of the season so fresh it is hard to tell what sort of losses or gains BRC will have next season, but they are building something amazing, who wouldn’t want to be a part of it. The sky continues to be the limit for BRC and if they all stick together and keep building then they are more than capable of taking out their first title in 2027. Exciting times ahead.

POINTS

Abbey Cochrane 50 – (8 tries, 5 cons)
Sasha Scott 40 – (8 tries)
Neave Rowland 35 – (16 con, 1 pen)
Leila Hill 35 – (7 tries)
Samarra Soper 25 – (5 tries)
Tegan Willocks 25 – (5 tries)
Keely Hill 20 – (4 tries)
Shanika McKenzie 15 – (3 tries)
Elri Geldenhuys 15 – (3 tries)
Cheyenne Cunningham 14 – (2 tries, 2 con)
Lulu Marshall 10 – (2 tries)
Maya Ferreira 10 – (2 tries)
Greta Luke – 5 (try)
Sam Storer – 5 (try)
Ella Gomes – 5 (try)
Leone Geldenhuys – 5 (try)
Aimee Johnson 5 – (try)
Aniva Gouman 5 – (try)

11/08/2026

Another rugby feel good story! Congrats Andrew and Neave for this awesome achievement!!