Flanker James Lentjes will captain a strong-looking Otago squad as they try to end their long exile outside the top tier of provincial rugby.
Coach Tom Donnelly has named 19 players with Super Rugby experience for the 2021 campaign, while new assistant coaches James Mackintosh and Riki Flutey also come on board.
Flutey has been coaching at the Highlanders for the past two years, while former Southland prop Mackintosh moves into a coaching role after having played for Otago last year.
“We believe we have chosen a strong squad from our local grassroots talent pool,” Donnelly said in a statement.
“We take pride in the fact that all players are affiliated to a local rugby club in Otago. We welcome in five potential debutants: Jermaine Ainsley, Viliami Fine, Nathan Hastie, Fabian Holland, Raymond Nu’u,…we are looking forward to seeing these players put on the Golden O for the first time.
“We are also pretty pumped to see multiple returning players come back into the mix this season, including Otago veteran Matt Faddes from Balclutha.”
Otago have resided in the NPC Championship since its formation in 2011, but will be expected to win the division this year.
