The NORFU Board invites applications for the position of Head Coach for the McKeown Petroleum Heartland Rugby Team for 2024.

It was vintage Barbarians and Heartland rugby. The rain held off in Oamaru just long enough to allow for an expansive and exciting match between the New Zealand Heartland XV and the New Zealand Barbarians on Saturday.

From North Otago to the god of goalkicking, Peter Breen has been on a big journey these past few years.

North Otago will boldly go where Otago chose not to go with its flagship rugby team. The Old Golds will make their head coaching role contestable.

Three North Otago players have eased the pain of a season collapse by earning selection in a national team. Josh Clark, Mone Samate and Junior Fakatoufifita were all named in the New Zealand Heartland XV yesterday.

North Otago boss Colin Jackson has fired shots at New Zealand Rugby for what he says is their lack of respect for the Heartland Championship.

A season that started with such promise for North Otago has come to a disappointing end. After holding an imposing 28-7 lead in the second half against Poverty Bay, the Old Golds capitulated to lose 40-35 in their Lochore Cup semifinal in Oamaru on Saturday.

It was a tough start to the week for North Otago. The playing group, and staff, were battling after a poor performance in their final Heartland game against West Coast and never gave themselves a chance to compete for the Meads Cup.

North Otago supporters will have their eyes glued to two games in the final round of the Heartland Championship today. First and foremost, they will be backing their Old Golds when they take on West Coast in Greymouth live on Sky Sport.

The following players have been selected to represent North Otago against West Coast in Round 8 of the 2023 Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship. Kickoff is at 2:30pm at John Sturgeon Park in Greymouth, with live coverage available on Sky Sport 3 & Sky Open.

It was third time lucky for North Otago. They found themselves down by six points against Thames Valley on Saturday, hot on attack just 5m out and with time up on the clock.

The Old Golds are going country. North Otago will host Thames Valley at Maheno Rugby Club today in a crucial match in the race for the Meads Cup semifinals. It will be the first time the club has hosted a Heartland match.

North Otago head home this week to take on Thames Valley, albiet at the Maheno Domain instead of their usual home ground of Whitestone Contracting Stadium.

Fifty-eight seconds. That is how long it took North Otago to score their first points of the game. But it took until the 83rd minute for them to finally overcome Poverty Bay and secure a much-needed win in Gisborne on Saturday.

Fire or fizzle. There is no wiggle room for North Otago when they face Poverty Bay in a must-win game in Gisborne this afternoon.

Minimal changes to the starting line-up will help ensure a steady build up to their round six clash with Poverty Bay, with North Otago retaining the bulk of thier starting side that played Whanganui last week in Oamaru.

The following players have been selected to represent North Otago Development against South Canterbury A in round 6 of the Hanan Cup. Kickoff is at 2:30pm at the Temuka Rugby Football Club.

The opening kickoff from North Otago did not break the necessary 10m and that foreshadowed what was to come. The Old Golds were soundly beaten 34-19 by Whanganui at Whitestone Contracting Stadium on Saturday.

It's a week of returns, and hopefully good returns on the field also, as key personnel make a welcome return to the North Otago side to take on Whanganui this weekend.

The following players have been selected to represent North Otago Development against Aoraki Maori. Kickoff is at 12:45pm at Whitestone Contracting Stadium.

The following players have been selected to represent North Otago Development against South Canterbury A in Round 4 of the Hanan Cup.

The North Otago side for their round 4 match against South Canterbury has been named by head coach Jason Forrest.

The following players have been selected to represent North Otago Development against Mid Canterbury Development in Round 3 of the Hanan Cup.

The North Otago side for their round 3 match against Ngati Porou East Coast will feature some new combinations, with a number of changes in key positions.

The Welshman has spent the past seven years globetrotting. He captained London Scottish, played in the Channel Islands and had stints in the United States and Australia before landing in Oamaru earlier this year.

The following players listed are all invited to a get together on Sunday August 20, at 10:00am at the Excelsior clubrooms.

The following players have been selected to represent North Otago Development against Otago Sassenachs and Southland Country.

Head Coach Jason Forrest has named a fairly settled North Otago side for round 2 of the Heartland Championship, with just three changes made to the starting line-up that beat Mid Canterbury in the opening round.

Head along to the Oamaru Club tonight from 7:30pm for a meet and greet with our 2023 Heartland players and Management.

Home game this week as we take on Wairarapa-Bush in Round 2 of the Heartland Championship. Thanks to the team at Whitestone Contracting Limited, entry for this match is free for all ages!

All eyes were on a star back on debut but a forward stole the show as North Otago opened the new season in style on Saturday.

The following players have been selected to represent North Otago Development against Mid Canterbury Development.

Plenty of changes feature in a new look North Otago side for the opening round of the Heartland Championship, with nine players looking to make their first class debut for North Otago.

The St Kevin's/Waitaki Girls (St Taki) Under 18 side have booked their spot in their third successive final, after beating the Mid Canterbury Combined side 37-32 in last nights semi final.

North Otago will head into the Heartland Championship off the back of a 36-15 win over Otago Country in a hard-fought game in sloppy conditions at Outram on Friday night.

A familiar face will be wearing an unfamiliar jersey as he seeks to reignite his rugby career in places like Outram, Ashburton and Ruatoria.

Here is your McKeown Petroleum North Otago side to take on Otago Country in our final pre-season match tonight.

Network Waitaki Rugby Fun Day - Saturday July 29 2023

Otago Spirit are playing in Oamaru this Saturday 29th July at 2:05pm!

The North Otago Rugby online store is open now for pre-orders, simply click "Visit Store" below to view the store and make your pre-orders.

Both camps expressed relative satisfaction with their afternoon’s work after a game of three halves today.

Hayden Meikle (helped by many willing advisers) names his best of the Citizens Shield competition.

Fijian flair is the name of the game for the Old Golds this season. Mix in a grizzled veteran, a sprinkling of international flavour and some workhorses, and the recipe is hopefully there for a return to Meads Cup glory.

The perfect season is complete. Valley beat Excelsior 26-23 on Saturday in the Citizens Shield final to complete the club’s first unbeaten season since 2005.

Valley has capped an unbeaten season with victory in the North Otago premier club rugby final this afternoon.

Valley is one chapter away from a fairy tale ending. But Excelsior will be doing its very best to spoil Valley’s chances when the two meet in the Citizens Shield final at Whitestone Contracting Stadium tomorrow.

Then there were two. Excelsior has booked its spot in next weekend’s Citizens Shield final after a tight 26-24 win over Old Boys in Oamaru on Saturday.

Old Boys crushed Kurow hearts last weekend. Could Excelsior be in for the same treatment tomorrow?

The business end of the Citizens Shield kicked off on Saturday as the playoffs started. Valley won its 11th straight game to book its spot in the final with a 33-10 win over Excelsior, while Old Boys ended Kurow’s chance of a threepeat as they secured a thrilling 38-37 win.

Isoa Malo was grinning like the Cheshire cat. The St Kevin’s College wing’s infectious smile only grew bigger as he talked about scoring four tries

After torrential rain and horrific conditions last year, the stage is set for a promising — and, fingers crossed, dry — First XV interschool between Waitaki Boys’ High School and St Kevin’s College in Oamaru today.

The Citizens Shield playoffs get under way tomorrow with Valley hosting Excelsior and Kurow at home to Old Boys. The winner between Valley and Blues advances straight to the final in a fortnight, while the loser is thrown a lifeline and plays the winner of Kurow v Old Boys next week.

Waitaki Boys’ has broken the curse. The Oamaru secondary school came back to pip Dunstan High in the final minutes to win 22-19 and secure its first victory of the season on Saturday.

Valley won its 10th straight game with a 43-40 nail-biter against Kurow as the Citizens Shield regular season wrapped up on Saturday.

Valley has secured the top spot on the Citizens Shield table, but underneath it is anyone’s game. The tight tussle for second spot (between Excelsior and Kurow) and fourth (Old Boys, Athletic Marist and Maheno) makes tomorrow’s final round even more interesting.

Toby Growcott has a few tricks up his sleeve. The St Kevin’s College front-rower might pack down at loosehead prop but he can also step up to the plate and bang it off the tee when needed.

Excelsior took its chances and packed down for another scrum. It worked so well for Blues moments before, and trailing by three with less than a minute to go...

The race for the semifinals in the Citizens Shield is starting to heat up. With just two weeks remaining in the regular season.

It is the battle of the carpark. Athletic Marist hosts Excelsior tomorrow and will want to reverse its fortunes from a first round 20-15 loss.

Kurow celebrated its 125th anniversary in style on Saturday with a dominant display against Maheno. The Red Devils have retained third place in the Citizens Shield standings, with a huge 78-20 win.

Things are heating up in North Otago. Valley has been in red hot form this season, securing seven from seven, and is miles ahead on the Citizens Shield table with 35 points.

There was a time when the Kurow Rugby Club was just scraping by. The bare bones of the club’s committee were scratching their heads, ringing around the night before games, begging players to put on the boots and pulling president’s grade players from the grandstand to suit up for the lean premier side.

It was almost a country clean sweep in the Citizens Shield on Saturday. The country teams recorded two wins out of the three games played.

Excelsior is not feeling blue this season. The North Otago club has been resurgent, winning four of its six games, and finds itself sitting second in the Citizens Shield standings.

For the first time this month, all six Citizens Shield teams played on the same day. After a few weeks of disruptions, three games were held across North Otago on Saturday.

A smaller round of Citizens Shield was still able to pack in plenty of action on Saturday.

Master coach Barry Matthews has not yet had to pull on the boots himself. But he did move son Jake — who usually likes a clean jersey at halfback — to blindside flanker last weekend, perhaps summing up where Valley is placed in terms of its depth.

Valley remains top dog in the Citizens Shield after running riot against the defending champion.

Some of the usual suspects got off to their usual start in the Otago Schools Rugby Championship this afternoon.

It is the battle of the big boys. Old Boys are home to Athletic Marist tomorrow in what poses to be an enthralling battle at Whitestone Contracting Stadium.

Otago Schools Rugby Championship team-by-team season preview.

Valley remains the frontrunner in the Citizens Shield, as it is undefeated after three rounds of the North Otago premier club competition.

Kurow has 125 reasons to hope the stars align in its bid for a historic threepeat in the Citizens Shield.

After just two rounds of the Citizens Shield, only one team remains undefeated.

Country clubs ruled the roost as the North Otago premier club season finally started on Saturday.

Who is going to win this year’s Citizens Shield? Your guess is as good as mine.

The North Otago club rugby season finally gets under way tomorrow and it is tipped to be a tight one.

2023 Rugby Smart looks a little different this year!

This year you can choose 1 of the following options:

- Online modules.

- Online workshop.

- In person workshop Facilitated by North Otago Rugby Staff.

Rugby Smart is compulsory for all coaches to complete from U14s above.

North Otago Rugby Ambrose Golf Day!

Lower Waitaki Golf Club 30th April. See you there!

World Rugby Level 2 Coaching Course!

When? Friday 31st March 4:30pm - 8:30pm

Saturday 8:30pm - 4pm.

Where? Excelsior Rugby Club Rooms.

Please email jason@northotagorugby.co.nz if interested.

North Otago rugby are giving you the chance to win a FREE High School Ticket (13-18), to the Farmlands Cup (Highlanders Vs Crusaders) at Weston Domain on Feb 10th KO 5:30pm. We have 50 up for grabs! For a chance to win just answer this question:
What is the name of the Women's Club Rugby team in North Otago?
Email your answer to: admin@northotagorugby.co.nz

All players must be registered for the programme!

Former Otago and North Otago forward Charles Elton is the latest provincial representative to head to the bright lights of Major League Rugby.

Former Waitaki Boys and North Otago halfback Kieran McClea is the latest to join the New England Free Jacks in Major League Rugby.