Otago all fired up and ready to pull out stops

There is no better time than the present for Otago to reverse their trend of struggles against Canterbury.

With their semifinal hopes in the balance, Otago should be well motivated to ignore the history books and beat Canterbury at Carisbrook today.

But Canterbury are hotly favoured to win this match; they have beaten Otago six times out of seven and, at Super 12 level, the Crusaders have won five in succession against the Highlanders.

But don't try telling Otago captain Craig Newby that Canterbury have a psychological hold. "This is another must-win for us. We've won three in a row and we'd like to keep the momentum going," Newby said yesterday. "We've prepared well."

Newby has never played for Otago against Canterbury, but has experienced defeat at the hands of the Crusaders with the Highlanders.

"It's like playing against your brothers. Otago-Canterbury is obviously a massive rivalry because they're just four hours up the road."

- NZPA