Standing in as Reds captain, Harry Wilson is aiming to harness the raucous atmosphere of Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium in their quest for their first away win against the Highlanders in 12 years.
The Reds have not won at the venue since their inaugural meeting in 2013.
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The ground is unique for a number of reasons, most notably its enclosed nature.
This ensures running Rugby in Wilson’s eyes, with the hosts welcoming back Finn Hurley at the back.
This also amplifies the noise made by ‘The Zoo’, the nickname of the Highlanders rowdy supporters crew largely made up of uni students from the Uni of Otago, which the ground sits on the border of.
“The zoo is such an awesome part of playing here with all the uni students there screaming, getting into us and wanting their team to win, which is all a part of it,” Wilson said to reporters.
“…It’s only good being around that sort of energy when you're playing. It's better hearing everyone screaming, getting around their team and probably getting into us than hearing no noise at all. So I guess we use this motivation, but also it just adds to wanting to get in the contest.”
The Reds spent a day in Queenstown before heading south for Saturday’s game with a rotated squad.
The likes of John Bryant and Kalani Thomas will start for the first time in 2025, with Wilson confident they will embrace their chance.
“It’s their energy and just they're going to get some really good minutes, which is what they're really excited for and both of them have been training so hard all summer,” Wilson admits.
“Kalani (Thomas) hasn't been given too many opportunities this year. He's been given little snippets, but every time he's come on, he's played really well and take his opportunity so we've got so much confidence in him of leading our team around the park.
"I know he's really going to relish getting a fair few more minutes this week.
“Same as JB (John Bryant), we've got such a strong back row with a lot of competition for spots so I think he will really see this as an opportunity for himself to go out there and put in a performance, which is worth noting for the coaches.”
