Rugby: Buoyant Otago seek to end Eden Park drought

Ben Atiga of Otago in action during last week's match against North Harbour. Photo / Getty Images

Auckland v Otago
Eden Park, 7.35pm today

Counties Manukau v Manawatu
Pukekohe, 5.35pm today

If you look at their record at Eden Park, you'd wonder why Otago bothered getting on the plane to fly to Auckland.

They might have saved themselves another dose of angst by simply mailing up the points with a "see you down here next year" note attached.

Not since 1976 have Otago beaten Auckland on their patch, 35 years of unremitting failure.

And yet this time Otago will turn up tonight fancying their chances, having been significantly buoyed by their resounding first-up win over a poor North Harbour last week.

They ran in six tries, played with a fair degree of commitment and got their campaign to leave the second tier championship behind at the earliest opportunity under way.

They have pace and experience in the backline and a decent pack with hard runners and good ball winners.

Otago have made one change to the starting XV from the Harbour win, Liam Coltman coming in to replace hooker Jason MacDonald, who picked up an eye injury.

Auckland, by contrast, have gone straight to the rotation policy most sides will have to employ during this compressed ITM Cup.

Just five players survive from the 40-33 loss to Canterbury last Sunday.

One pointer to the reason for the swag of changes can be found in the schedule, which has them facing Wellington in the capital on Saturday night - three games in seven days.

Even allowing for the need to squeeze the cup between the Super 15 and World Cup, that is frankly ridiculous.

This season the teams are all in the same boat and expect the first by-products of the crush of rugby to be fatigue and falling standards.

Two Auckland changes are enforced, second five-eighth Benson Stanley and wing Francis Saili out with injuries. The survivors are captain Daniel Braid, No8 Chris Lowrey, lock Josh Townsend, first five-eighth Gareth Anscombe and Hadleigh Parkes, who switches from centre to fullback.

"We're pretty comfortable with the depth that we've got within the squad," Auckland coach Mark Anscombe said.

Former North Harbour and Blues wing Viliame Waqaseduadua will make his debut for Auckland, while centre Teddy Stanaway, back after a shoulder reconstruction, gets his chance. This is a crossover game between premiership (top seven) and championship (bottom seven) teams. Auckland should beware.

Otago, a humiliating 14th and last a year ago, will figure there's no better time, or stage, to show they are going to put up a vigorous bid to return to the provincial elite next year.

Counties Manukau chase their first win of the cup when they host Manawatu in Pukekohe in today's early game.

Manawatu will be out to build on their breezy start last weekend, a 32-23 win over Hawkes Bay - their first over that union for 15 years and a match which marked hooker Rob Foreman's 59th for the union, a record for successive games. Tonight wing and national sevens representative Tomasi Cama brings up a milestone, his 50th game for Manawatu.

AUCKLAND v OTAGO

Auckland

Hadleigh Parkes
Joe Rokocoko
Teddy Stanaway
Winston Stanley
Vili Waqaseduadua
Gareth Anscombe
Toby Morland
Chris Lowrey
Daniel Braid (c)
Sean Polwart
Josh Townsend
Richard Haddon
Angus Ta'avao
Ash Dixon
Tevita Mailau

Reserves: Tom McCartney, Pauliasi Manu, Nathan Hughes, Onosai Auva'a, Auvasa Faleali'i, Piers Francis, George Moala, Charlie Faumuina.

Otago

Glenn Dickson
Joe Hill
Ben Atiga
Sam Giddens
Buxton Popoali'i
Tony Brown
Sean Romans
Gareth Evans
Eben Joubert (c)
Regan Tamihere
Tom Donnelly
Daniel Ramsay
Kees Meeuws
Liam Coltman
Halani Aulika

Reserves: Peter Mirrielees, James McGougan, Rob Verbakel, TJ Ioane, Johnny Legg, Jayden Spence, Hayden Parker, Scott Manson.

COUNTIES MANUKAU v MANAWATU

Counties Manukau

Sherwin Stowers
Tyrone Lefau
Siale Piutau
Reynold Lee-Lo
Bundee Aki
James Semple
Samisoni Fisilau
Fritz Lee
DJ Forbes
Adam Cathcart
Jamie Chipman (c)
Chris McLaren
Matt Talaese
Mark Price
Simon Lemalu

Reserves: Grant Henson, Ihipa Thompson, Ronald Raaymakers, Sikeli Nabou, Augustine Pulu, Niva Ta'auso/Tasesa Lavea, Ahsee Tuala, Maka Tatafu

Manawatu

Craig Clare
Aseli Tikoirotuma
Lewis Marshall
Johnny Leota
Tomasi Cama
Aaron Cruden
Aaron Smith
James Oliver
Doug Tietjens
Nick Crosswell
Michael Fitzgerald
Fraser Stone
Ma'afu Fia
Rob Foreman
Grant Polson

Reserves: Bryn Templeman, Peni Kaufusi, Reece Robinson, Hamish Gosling, Karl Bryson, Dan Kelly, Francis Bryant, Dave Te Moana.