It's one of the feel-good stories of the rugby year as Southland prepares for its first national championship semifinal this weekend.
Southland has a long and proud history but, like any journey, there have been plenty of potholes along the way.
There were the glory years in the 1950s and 1960s when it held the Ranfurly Shield (briefly) and beat the British Lions (twice) and the Wallabies.
In 1959, it beat Otago 40-0, the equivalent of more than a half-century in modern scoring. Remarkably, this was soon after Otago had trounced the Lions, 26-8. And there was the famous win over a very good French side in 1979.
The 1980s were the depression years as Southland hovered between the first and second divisions. Rugby Park in Invercargill was a forlorn place.
I well recall watching shell-shocked supporters leave the ground in the early-1980s after Southland had been relegated to the second division by Brian Lochore's Wairarapa-Bush side.
Now Southland (and Hawkes Bay) have produced their best performances in the premier division and they have done so by displaying many of the old-fashioned values on which the foundations of New Zealand rugby were built.
Southland's rise has not happened overnight. It has been patient, steady progress, achieved mainly with a squad of homegrown players.
There are 14 born and bred Southlanders in the squad, plus the coaching duo of Simon Culhane and David Henderson and manager Leicester Rutledge.
Little wonder the crowd support is back at Rugby Park, as it is in Napier for Hawkes Bay and in Mount Maunganui for Bay of Plenty.
The Southland culture is tight, tough and no-nonsense. There is nothing flashy. Many of the players have developed together, as have the coaches. They play hard on the field, they enjoy each other's company off it.
The team comes first. Hooker Jason Rutledge was told at the outset of the season he was the third choice hooker behind David Hall and Matt Holloway but he did not drop his lip.
Now, because of injuries, Hall is playing at No 8 - the fifth backrower the Stags have used this season - and Rutledge is playing the rugby of his life in the No 2 jersey.
Few expect Southland to beat Wellington in Wellington on Friday night but, no matter what, the Stags have punched well above their weight, in stark contrast to Auckland, North Harbour and Otago, who all under-achieved.
The dilemma for Highlanders coach Glenn Moore now is to assess how many of the better Southland players can cut it at Super 14 level or whether he is better to go to the draft.
There are certainly no shortage of contenders from the Stags.
The forwards include Jamie Mackintosh, Chris King, Hall, Rutledge, Josh Bekhuis, Tim Boys while Jimmy Cowan, Blair Stewart, Jason Kawau, Kenny Lynn, Pehi Te Whare and Robbie Robinson are backs who deserve consideration.
Some believe Robinson (19) is too young. Jeff Wilson was 18 when he made his first-class debut. Robinson should be judged on his ability, not his age, and he certainly has the skills.
Southland's success has been built around shrewd player retention and recruitment and the players have relished the environment.
Many of the better-performed players in the championship this year are former Otago players.
The list include Boys, Kawau, King and Matt Saunders (Southland), Jason Shoemark, Matt Berquist and Danny Lee (Hawkes Bay), Callum Bruce and Tom Harding (Waikato), Paul Williams and George Whitelock (Canterbury), Andrew Hore (Taranaki), Andrew Goodman (Tasman), Chris Smylie (North Harbour) and Grant Polson (Manawatu).
Players move frequently for various reasons in the professional era but you would suggest Otago has some work to do on its retention and recruitment policy.
In simple terms, it has been unable to retain the nucleus of a team. That is something for it to try to remedy.
Meanwhile, it's appropriate to salute the success of Southland and Hawkes Bay. Pride and passion go a long way, even in an era dominated by dollars.
