Otago 24 Canterbury 19
Canterbury have no shortage of top replacements for injured pivot Cameron McIntyre as they brace for their Ranfurly Shield defence and top-of-the-table clash with Auckland on Saturday.
Canterbury got caught in an Otago ambush but it wasn't enough to dent their hopes of winning back-to-back NPC
titles.
The loss was a shock but Canterbury have enough experienced internationals to forget the result and concentrate on keeping the Shield safe for the summer.
Coach Aussie McLean will also have All Blacks kingpin Dan Carter available for his comeback, and Leon MacDonald should also be fit after being forced to withdraw from the Otago game because of a knee injury.
McIntyre sprained his ankle in the opening minutes against Otago, forcing Aaron Mauger to shuffle in one place - but he won't stay there for the Auckland game.
MacDonald will probably start at first five-eighth with Carter on the bench. McIntyre's injury is serious enough to rule him out.
Match fitness will be an issue for Carter who hasn't played since fracturing a leg in the Tri-Nations match against the Wallabies on August 20.
McLean names his team on Thursday and will be mindful that thrusting All Blacks straight back into the starting side doesn't necessarily translate into success.
He saw that on Saturday as previously unbeaten Canterbury welcomed back Mauger, Richie McCaw and Chris Jack.
For the second consecutive week Canterbury's scrum was under pressure. Also their backline struggled and their defence went missing as Otago raced in four tries in 10 minutes in the first half to lead 24-0.
"You always like to win but I'm pretty happy with the way we fought back. Obviously 24-0 was a little bit too far to come back from ... "
- NZPA
