Steve Hepburn

Duncan Laing was a rugby coach of the old school - training could last more than two-and a-half hours, and players got fit by running the roads.

Otago coach Steve Martin wants to be in charge again next year, but admits his side has not yet played to its full potential.

Otago left it late - very, very late to snatch a draw against Tasman in their Air New Zealand Cup match in Nelson on Saturday.

Otago still controls its destiny and just needs to nail its opportunities, coach Steve Martin said yesterday.

Dunedin swimming coach Duncan Laing has lauded United States Olympic star Michael Phelps, and is humbled he has been thought of by the champion swimmer.

This really is must-win. It is just that simple. Otago has to beat Tasman this afternoon in Nelson if it wants to stay in the reckoning for the Air New Zealand Cup.

The axe has swung through the Otago team, with 10 changes to the side which takes on Tasman in Nelson tomorrow afternoon.

France will fly out players just hours after they play a club final in Paris to make sure a full-strength team faces the All Blacks at Carisbrook.

Wellington and Christchurch were allocated the quarterfinals for the next Rugby World Cup yesterday but Dunedin did not even get in the starting blocks.

He wants to follow in his father's footsteps but he does not know first-hand what those marks were.

Injuries are part and parcel of sport. But for Kelly Brazier, the two injuries she has suffered this year could not have come at a worst time.

The Otago and Dunedin public have been rewarded for progress on the new stadium and the sell-out success of July's Springboks test with a test against France next year.

Otago may go into this Saturday's must-win match against Tasman without two of its key forwards.

The Otago Spirit fell to its second loss in a row, beaten by Canterbury 29-5 in Christchurch, on Saturday.