All Blacks snub Lucas Casey opens up on breakthrough season

Otago enjoyed their best NPC season since 2005 last year, successfully challenging for the Ranfurly Shield against Canterbury in Christchurch for the first time since 1935 with a dramatic 38-36 victory on September 19, 2025.

The winning momentum continued until the final, where they lost to Canterbury 36-28 in the last NPC match at Apollo Projects Stadium. Canterbury won 69 of 84 matches at their former fortress and 16 of 17 playoff games, including five finals.

In both games, Otago openside Lucas Casey scored tries, two in the Shield challenge and one in the final, making up a third of his competition-leading nine. He ranked in the top 20 for tackles with 155. This led to a wider training group contract with the Highlanders, culminating in 11 Super Rugby Pacific appearances and the Highlanders Rookie of the Year award.

“I was just excited to be in a Super Rugby environment and learn as much as possible. To get 11 games was awesome,” Casey told RugbyPass.

”The biggest challenges were the increased speed of the game, greater physicality, and learning how to get your body right each week. There are no easy games. You’re against world-class players every week. The pressure from fans and media is greater. It’s definitely a fast way to grow as a player and a person.

“My highlights were beating the Crusaders in the first round in Dunedin. I wasn’t expecting to be involved, but then I got a start. A first trip to Fiji and Brisbane was cool, and then I got to play Super Round in Christchurch.”

The Highlanders pipped Moana Pasifika 27-17 in that Super Round clash on April 26. First-five Cameron Millar, who will join Casey in the Otago NPC team and topped the 2025 scoring ladder with 156 points, dramatically settled the contest, making a break with a bloody face resembling Travis Bickle in the last scene of the Martin Scorsese classic Taxi Driver.

”That was my fault,” Casey laughed. “Cam was making a tackle, and somehow my knee struck his head. I didn’t know he was bleeding until after the game. I was at the bottom of a ruck when he made that break. Cam is a tough player.”

Casey will be hoping Otago shows similar grit in the NPC. The 2025 campaign, after a shaky start with losses to Hawke’s Bay (21-27) and Tasman (27-31), caught fire when Otago rolled Northland 29-10 in Dunedin on September 5.

They won their next six consecutive matches before the final, playing vibrant rugby that yielded 60 tries in 13 games, a record 51 converted by Miller.

Casey scored tries in the 41-26 Shield defence against North Harbour on September 27 and in the 44-41 quarter-final win against Waikato in Dunedin on October 10. Rookie halfback Dylan Pledger was another breakout star with eight tries in 11 games. Christian Lio-Willie (140 tackles), Will Tucker (53 lineouts), Liam Cotlman (104 games), and Ben Lopas and Rohan Wingham, with a dozen games each, were the spine of a forward pack that improved markedly.

“Even when we were losing, we felt like we were playing pretty well,” Casey said.

“When a couple of those close games went our way, we gained a lot of confidence. It showed that what we were doing and how we were playing was positive.

”Fortunately, most of the boys are back this year. We’ve picked up Joel Lam and Patrick Pellegrini from Moana Pasifika. Both have played Test footy, so they’ll add a lot of experience and value.”

Fixture

Hilux NPC

Southland Stags

22:05

31 Jul 26

Otago

All Stats and Data

Otago have already twice defended the Ranfurly Shield in 2026, beating Lochore Cup champions North Otago 46-14 on June 18 at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, and then Meads Cup winners Mid Canterbury 78-14 at Molyneux Park in Alexandra on July 24. Casey scored a try in the latter game, which was a step up from the North Otago defence that featured eight debutants from club rugby.

Depth and confidence will be essential for Otago, who defend the Ranfurly Shield in the second round against Canterbury. First, they face Southland in Invercargill in the 250th game between the Unions dating back to 1887. While Otago leads the head-to-head rivalry 155 to 84 with ten draws, Casey acknowledges Southland is a tough start.

”It’s a pretty hostile place to go. They typically have a big crowd and like to get stuck in. The Stags have a lot of Highlanders boys like Nic Shearer, Sean Withy, who’s a phenomenal player, and Mitch Dunshea in their squad. They’ll be up for it. We lost the last trip down there, so we have to be on,” Casey said.