John Walker remembers the looks on the faces of the young Chinese rugby players when the long-limbed, dreadlocked Otago University star walked by.
Carisbrook's first All Black test in three years is officially a sell-out but there will be one last chance today for fans to get a ticket.
Whisper it quietly but the All Blacks may just have solved one of their most pressing problems.
Graham Henry added a dash of spice to the test series when he accused England of cynical scrummaging tactics at Eden Park on Saturday night.
AUCKLAND: He was, as they say, a right mixed bag but Topsy Ojo still had reason to celebrate his test debut on Saturday night.
It was the little moments in this test that exposed the huge disparity in class between the All Blacks and England.
Richard Reid hopes the New Zealand Rugby Union has received the clear message that the people of the South want regular test rugby at Carisbrook.
Otago coach Steve Martin hopes a battle over the bridge will prove he has the depth to mount a serious tilt at a championship later this year.
Captain Richie McCaw was the outstanding figure in this forgettable opening to the test calendar.
Otago Rugby Football Union chief executive Richard Reid is hopeful of retaining Adam Thomson but does not want to bug the new All Black just yet.
Their defeated faces always look the same.
Highlanders captain Craig Newby is enjoying some sun and some State of Origin as he recovers from a serious neck injury.
All Black coach Graham Henry walked into the press conference after the test against Ireland and went through his usual routine.
New Zealand tennis great Onny Parun does not think Rafael Nadal will ever lose to Roger Federer at the French Open.
Alistair McMurran is an unassuming man but he has just joined the ranks of an exclusive club.
They might look like nine oversized boys pushing a trolley at the moment, but the prospective members of the New Zealand bobsleigh team intend to be flying in 2010.
It was a brief, wet start to an international career but Otago's Adam Thomson left the field after his first test feeling like a real All Black.
It was terrible to watch and far from convincing but this was possibly the ideal result for the purposes of accelerating the healing process.
Carisbrook is already half full for the Tri-Nations test on July 12, and the Otago Rugby Football Union hopes many more seats will be taken over the next two weeks.
Taieri holds a massive lead in the Carisbrook club incentive and looks certain to field a junior team in the curtain-raiser to the test on July 12.