Steve Hepburn

Jarrad Hoeata did not take much convincing to head south to join the Highlanders.

The Otago Sparks finished their season with a flourish, bagging two wins in as many days, but it was not quite enough to make a final.

The Highlanders have enjoyed a rewarding week in Wanaka though an injury to one of the side's key players has thrown a scare into the camp.

The Scotland team will not be blaming the stadium should it fail to fire in its match in Dunedin in this year's World Cup.

The Highlanders want the fans back, and have laid out the welcome mat, cutting ticket prices by nearly half with a special deal for Otago ratepayers.

Highlanders general manager Roger Clark says it is not up to him to decide whether the financial blow-out at Rugby Southland gives a bad look to his new employer.

His immediate playing prospects are cloudy but Andy Boyens is proving he may already have a future on the sideline.

The Otago Sparks head to Invercargill this weekend for a round of games against Northern Districts with their finals prospects hanging by a thread.

Getting and staying on the paddock is the big goal for Nasi Manu this season.

The Highlanders returned to business yesterday and it seems none of them over-indulged at the Christmas table.

It was a weekend to forget for the Otago Sparks as they fell to Wellington in two games in the capital.

It seemed like a much simpler time. There were no iPods, internet or the E! channel. In Dunedin in the early 1990s, rugby was king and Marc Ellis was part of the show. Steve Hepburn catches up with Ellis to discuss what it meant to play for Otago.