Otago coach Steve Martin says it would be foolish of him to think no-one in his side will be thinking of the Ranfurly Shield this week, as Otago eyes a second crack at rugby's most prized domestic trophy.
The Otago Spirit experienced its second consecutive loss when it was beaten 19-14 by Hawkes Bay in Napier on Saturday.
The Otago Spirit welcomes back winger Carla Hohepa and halfback Zoey Berry for its match with Hawkes Bay in Napier today.
North Otago will field a new-look midfield in its season-opening match with South Canterbury in Oamaru this afternoon.
Rugby is the national game and nowhere is there a better example of that than the Heartland Championship.
Karne Hesketh admits he still has work to do on his defence, but there can be no complaints about his attacking game.
Cost is the factor behind the decision to stop having third match officials for Air New Zealand Cup games and also not to have the large video screen operating for all games at Carisbrook.
In many eyes he should have worn the blue and gold, but Matt Clutterbuck will be proudly wearing Cambridge blue when he takes on Otago in Whangarei on Friday night.
Northland has made two changes to its team to take on Otago on Friday night, but the match may be played on a wet Okara Park.
The Scorpions women's volleyball team will go from all but empty gymnasiums into a packed cauldron.
The Highlanders First XV competition has been deemed a success with the standard of play well above expectations.
Former Otago loose forward Dave Callon has been appointed an Otago Rugby Football Union board member.
Otago is facing injury problems in its midfield with both Luke Herden and Brett Mather out of Friday night's clash against Northland.
Otago made a slow start to its national championship campaign, falling 26-5 to Wellington at the Hutt Recreation ground on Saturday.
Otago fell at the final hurdle in a spirited effort at the women's championship in Wellington on Saturday.
Lacking a knockout punch, Otago fell 19-12 to Manawatu in Palmerston North last night.
After 84 games and thousands of kilometres of travelling, it all goes on the line in Invercargill this afternoon.
It is a long way from the back paddock in Palmerston to the glitz of Melbourne and France, but that is where young motocross rider Courtney Duncan appears headed.
The race to the final in the top-four section of the Highlanders First XV competition will go to the last round of games.
Otago lock Tom Donnelly has been called into the All Blacks training squad and his chance to make a test debut appears to depend on the seriousness of an injury to fellow lock Bryan Evans.
