But the Manawatu defence was resolute. Manawatu, in contrast, broke the Otago defence open a handful of times and took its chances when they arose. While Otago held on well initially, a simple missed tackle off a 22m drop-out chase led to the first try. That put Manawatu up 14-0 inside 20 minutes, Otago having barely crossed halfway and not firing a shot on attack. But the Manawatu defence held strong, even when it was reduced to 14 men following a set repeated infringements.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 03, 2021 15:45 UTC