Head Coach Dale MacLeod has confirmed three Southland forwards will join the SIT Zero Fees Southland Stags for the remainder of the season.

Shaun Stodart and Liam Udy-Johns of Marist and Star’s Jordan Stewart will join the side as of today.

The trio bring a mixture of experience to the squad, with Shaun Stodart bringing up several seasons with the Stags already and Jordan Stewart a player with 1st class experience and a leader within the Star Rugby Club.

Liam Udy-Johns joined Marist this season with a hope of making the Southland setup.

For MacLeod it is pleasing to be able to add depth to the forwards, who have had a number of injuries to date.

The Stags had a bye over the weekend followed by a non-competition game against Wellington this Saturday, and championship games against Northland at home and Taranaki away.

“Now that we have some clarity, we can look forward to the next three weeks. Up until now we have been running a skeleton crew, adding these three players will bolster our forwards."

The next three weeks are vital with Southland, Northland and Otago all still in contention for a spot in the Championship semi-finals, a challenge the Stags are most certainly up for.

Article added: Monday 18 October 2021