Three All Blacks - Merv and Lyn Jaffray and Brian Mc-Kechnie - returned to the Green Island club for the 125th jubilee celebrations at the weekend.
Many of the big names of Otago rugby returned to the city to celebrate the 125th jubilees of the Green Island, Kaikorai, Southern and University clubs.
Merv Jaffray (60), who captained Green Island to banner wins in 1973, 1974 and 1978, was a long-term member of the Green Island premier team and played a key role when the club was promoted to the premier ranks in 1969.
He had high praise for coach Jack McLachlan who took the club to the three banner wins.
"He was a tremendous coach and was ahead of his time the way he analysed the game," Merv Jaffray said.
"He was a fitness fanatic and had the knack of getting players to work together."
Merv Jaffray played four games for the All Blacks on the tour to Argentina in 1976 and 102 games for Otago between 1971 and 1978.
His brother Lynn (59) played 23 games for the All Blacks between 1972 and 1979 and 84 for Otago between 1970 and 1978.
He was a member of the Green Island team that won the banner in 1973.
"It was fantastic. We had great support from Green Island people. Special buses took supporters to Carisbrook and we were bagpiped on to the ground when we played University A," Lynn Jaffray said.
McKechnie (55) played 26 matches for the All Blacks between 1977 and 1981 after he returned to Southland.
The double international played social rugby in his first year at the University of Otago and played just one year for Green Island when it won the banner in 1974.
He would have played again in 1975 but was selected in the New Zealand cricket team for the World Cup in England.
Andy Hunter, the captain of the Kaikorai team that won the club's first banner for 76 years in 1997, praised coach Tony Gilbert who went on to be assistant coach of the All Blacks in 2000.
"Tony never said much, but he garnered a lot of respect from the players," Hunter said.
"He had a sound work ethic and trained us hard."
One of the oldest former players at the 125th reunions from the four clubs was 90-year-old Bruce Barnes who played his first game at lock for Kaikorai against Union in 1937 as a 19-year-old.
He marked All Black Fred "Did" Vorrath that day and attempted to take him on in the line-out.
"He got the better of me," Barnes recalled.
"But after the game he took me to the back of the pavilion and showed me what I should be doing in the line-out."
Southern won four banners from 1969 to 1977 and five members of those teams recalled the deeds and praised the efforts of coach Alan Stevens who was in charge for the wins in 1969, 1972 and 1975.
Eddie Walters (57), a midfield back in the Southern teams, said Stevens "had the ability to motivate people when he gave us a pep talk in a committee room under the Rose Stand at Carisbrook before big games.
He kept to the traditions instilled by Vic Cavanagh."
Former University A centurion and Otago representative Casey Mee presented the Ross Mee Memorial Trophy to Southern after it beat University Blue 21-8 in the Colts game at Bathgate Park.
Former Otago halfback Ross Mee played for Southern and became a hard working committee member of the University club when his son played for the students.
