The Ranfurly Shield will again stay in Christchurch over the summer months after Canterbury withstood a superb Otago challenge at Jade Stadium on Saturday evening, hanging on to win 16-13.

In conditions reminiscent of those which prevailed when the All Blacks beat the Wallabies in the Tri Nations at the same venue, this turned out to be a titanic struggle between the southern neighbours, a game in which both sets of defences were stretched time and again and the stamina of every player tested beyond the point of exhaustion. Otago have not held the Shield since 1957. In this fixture two years ago they came agonizingly close to doing so , before a late Caleb Ralph try swung the game in his side's favour. Tonight Otago again looked capable of upsetting the odds, only to find the old firm of Marhsall and Mehrtens in their way. They scored all the Canterbury points , the master fly half's second penalty in the 70th minute proving to be the kick which proved the decisive score.

There has been much speculation throughout New Zealand over the past week about whether or not Taine Randell will be re-installed All Black skipper for the forthcoming trip to Europe. He did his chances no harm tonight , leading his side magnificently and on countless occasions showing the sort of classy handling and positional skills which make him such a fine player. Lock Simon Maling, a new All Black in 2002, was not far behind, superb at the line outs and at restarts to secure vital first phase possession. As a unit , the Otago forwards competed relentlessly all night, their use of the driving maul subjecting the Canterbury defence to the closest of scrutiny. On a night when handling became increasingly hazardous, fly half Feeney and second five Mapusua were always a handful, sniffing out the gaps and making the most of half chances.

Under this sort of pressure, the Canterbury side rose to the challenge. They have not had the best NPC campaign , many of their squad showing signs of fatigue after rugged Super 12 and Tri Nations series for the Crusaders and All Blacks , respectively. But this does not mean that they have become any easier to beat on the big occasions.Their defence was colossal because it needed to be, the big match experience and temperaments of Greg Somerville, Chris Jack and Richie McCaw called upon to see them through.

In a tight first half we saw only one try, after 30 minutes, Mapusua getting over after superb work by excellent no6 Kelvin Middleton. On either side of that, and Feeney's conversion, Mehrtens kicked his first penalty and Marshall a dropped goal. 7-6 to Otago at half time. The intensity increased in the second half, if that was possible, the gap between the sides imperceptible. Two Feeney penalties in the third quarter seemed to have opened a decisive 13-6 advantage , but nothing is ever decisive when confronting this Cantabrian side. A relentless passage of pressure , nine phases in all, led to Marshall slipping through and over beneathy the posts. Mehrtens' conversion brought the scores level and exerted further pressure on Otago, the draw insufficient for them to carry the Shield away. If Mehrtens' winning penalty was inevitable, so was the last-ditch Otago assault on the Canterbury line in the final five minutes. Against most sides it would have proved sufficient , but the defensive lines proved impregnable, the relief of the home side at referee Paul Honiss' final whistle clearly visible. Both sides were already assured of semi final places, Canterbury confirming their home play off fixture and a game against Auckland. Otago will travel to Hamilton to play Waikato.

Scorers :

Canterbury : 16 : Try : Marshall. Conversion : Mehrtens Penalties : Mehrtens ( 2 ) Dropped Goal : Marshall

Otago : 13 : Try : Mapusua Conversion : Feeney Penalties: Feeney ( 2 )