Steve Hepburn

Southland's squad for the Mitre 10 Cup includes two Australians and some names from the past.

An All Black debut awaits Josh Ioane tomorrow but it could have been so much different.

You could call her a veteran - she has just racked up her 100th game for the University women's side. But Georgia Mason is hardly old - in fact she is still only 21.

Otago acknowledges it is talking to former All Black loose forward Adam Thomson about a return to the blue and gold but nothing has been decided.

Harbour and Green Island will go in as underdogs in their club semifinals tomorrow but the two sides are far from parading the white flag.

The stocks of Akira Ioane continue to drop after the No8 was moved to the reserves bench for tomorrow's match against Fiji in Rotorua.

Josh Ioane is poised to make his test debut while fellow Highlander Ben Smith gets his chance to start at fullback in an All Black team stripped of much of its experience.

It was an emotional Glenn Sutton who crossed the line at the end of the Badwater 135 ultra running race in California yesterday.

Otago has not yet kicked off its Mitre 10 Cup campaign but has already begun advertising for next year's coach.

Otago has some major injury concerns and the serious stuff is only a few weeks away.

Roxburgh is pleased with its return to senior ranks and has the bonus of adding another Otago player to its history books.

Was this a one-off or a start of a year of horrors for the New Zealand sports fan?

The Highlanders bagged a hat-trick they did not want when the side went out at quarterfinal time last Friday night for the third year in a row. Rugby writer Steve Hepburn looks back on the 2019...

The Highlanders will be walking down the same path the side treaded 12 years ago and must plan to make sure it does not have the same result.

Dunedin is in the running to host a test next year as the Scots and Welsh come calling to New Zealand.

It took a while to come, but the combined schools co-education team chalked up its first win of the season on Saturday.

The Combined schools side has been on the wrong end of some beatings this year but finally grabbed a victory today.

Taieri won the derby match against Green Island at Peter Johnstone Park today and with it took a big step toward making the top four.

Highlanders co-captain Ben Smith says it has not quite sunk in yet that his days with the team are over.