But that does not mean Otago should wave the white flag at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday. That means Auckland will be able to name seven players in its squad who are part of the All Black squad. In contrast, Otago did not have any players named in the All Black squad so will have a full squad to pick from. Althrough Auckland will have plenty of players to pick from — having a total of 18 Super Rugby players in its team — that is no guarantee of success as Otago has a good recent record against Auckland. In 2017, Otago put on a stunning defensive effort to beat Auckland 34-26 with Otago taking every opportunity which came along on attack.

Source: Otago Daily Times September 07, 2020 16:30 UTC