Otago Rugby Football Union is excited to announce Henry Bell (2-years), Josh Hill (2-years), Ricky Jackson (1-year) and Josh Timu (2-years) have signed to play for the Otago Team in the Bunnings NPC.

We welcome all four players back from last season. Three of the four have been playing Super Rugby this year. Jackson has appeared for the Crusaders, Timu has been playing for the Highlanders and Hill has been playing over the ditch for the Melbourne Rebels. Bell has been playing solid premier club rugby for Kaikorai RFC while also being named as captain for the side in 2022.

Timu had a knee injury early on in his Super Rugby season but has made it back onto the field in recent weeks which is promising looking ahead to the Bunnings NPC.

All players have graduated from Junior, Secondary and Club rugby within Otago and have remained loyal to the blue and gold. Their current affiliations to local clubs are: Bell – Kaikorai, Hill – Taieri RFC, Jackson – Otago University RFC and Timu – Otago University RFC.

Otago NPC Head Coach Tom Donnelly said: “We are pretty stoked to have these four men back on board with us again this season. It makes the deal even better knowing that they are all local players who have progressed through the system to get to where they are today. They are Otago through and through, and each one of them is from a different part of the province. Bell, East Otago, Timu from Central, Hill from South and Jackson from Metro. These guys set a good example for developing players that hard work and dedication from a young age can lead to exciting opportunities.”

Article added: Friday 10 June 2022