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.
But for Ellis, those five years in the South defined him. Set up his life.
And it does not take much of a prompt for him to walk down memory lane.
''It does not seem that long ago. It is amazing, really. You add another 15 years to me and I will be 55 and that is pretty scary. But it feels like a blink of an eye ago.
''In a way, it just reiterates you are only here for a short time and you've got to make the most of it.''
Ellis was one of the stars of an Otago rugby team that captured the province's imagination.
He started on the right wing for Otago in his first year at the University of Otago in 1991, and then switched to centre, where he played the bulk of his 66 games for the province.
For him, playing for Otago was largely about being part of a good bunch of mates who had a lot of fun together.
''The most fun I had was playing for University and Otago, simply because you were playing with your friends.
''There were 19 students in the Otago team when I was playing and we played club rugby together and would wear Hawaiian shorts to the final against Southern and then wrap 50 points around them.
''There is nothing better than winding up the Southern old guys by going into their clubrooms with gold medallions and Hawaiian shirts on.''
Ellis said the team and the Otago community was close and inspired each other.
''That is who we were playing for. Occasionally, you'd get a few free jugs at the local pub. Then there was the thrill of earning your tie for your first game, and then you desperately wanted your blazer and that was 15 games.
''The whole community was right behind you. You'd get a pat on the back if you did well and then a kick in the shins if you didn't.
''But there was that real pride in wanting to do well.''
Carisbrook became the place to go through that time as players such as Ellis, John Timu, Jeff Wilson and Stu Forster thrilled with exciting rugby and overseas teams such as the Lions and the Springboks were beaten.
So what stood out - the games or the hijinks afterwards?
''I just think of the whole lot. The biggest learning I got from Otago University was to hang out with people from all different walks of life, and backgrounds, and have the ability to get on with them.
''That is the biggest gift of coming out of Dunedin. People just took more time to ask questions and actually be genuinely interested. It is true the further south you go, the better it gets.
''It was just an alignment of the stars, really. Some provinces just get lucky in patches and that was when it was with Otago.
''We got a very lucky run with the people down there. And we just managed to have coaches like Laurie Mains and the great Gordy [Gordon] Hunter.
''You need a pretty special coach to try and control us. You've got 19 scarfies who are wearing Hawaiian shirts and gold medallions and taking the p ... , and always having a laugh.''
Ellis cannot sing the praises high enough of the late Hunter, who took over from Mains in 1992.
''He was just a very good man/manager. Just your mate. There was a professional boundary, obviously, but he knew he had your back.
''He had a great sense of humour. We used to call him the Riddler. He'd humour you sometimes, just give you a joke.''
Ellis was not approached to come to Otago after attending Wellington College.
''I wanted to go and enjoy a campus environment and it was either Otago or Massey. My girlfriend went to Massey and at the age of 19, breaking up with your girlfriend is a pretty tumultuous event, but I got over that pretty quickly.''
If Ellis came on the scene now, his chances of heading south would be thin.
Professional rugby has built up an infrastructure of academies and coaching so players get locked into a system.
But Ellis has his doubts whether it is producing what it aims to.
''In the professional era, these kids are earmarked by their own union when they're 13 and they are contracted.
'' But those kids are missing out. You've got to do your study first. Rugby is second, unless you are Dan Carter.
''But there is only one Dan Carter, and that is out of 22 All Blacks. You've got all these kids chasing the dream but all you need is a bad accident, a loss of form or someone better than you coming along.
''You've got to fundamentally look at what you are going to do first and then pay your way, and the rugby might help out later on.''
