Otago captain Newby backs Bay to lift shield

Otago rugby captain Craig Newby rates Bay of Plenty a big chance of winning the Ranfurly Shield back from Canterbury in Christchurch tomorrow.

Newby's side beat Bay of Plenty 29-6 in their NPC opener last weekend but he wasn't about to write off the challengers who lost the Shield to Canterbury last year.

"I reckon they can do it again -- they're not going to dwell on this loss," Newby said.

Newby based his feelings on Canterbury's patchy performance in their opening round win over Southland last week -- and the Bay's Shield magic last year.

The Rotorua Boys' High School old boy believed Shield challenges brought out special qualities in teams like Bay of Plenty.

"You see what they did last year, it's a totally different game. They could just do nothing all week and still win the shield."

- DAILY POST (ROTORUA)