Joseph, who played 68 games for Otago as a forward in the early 1990s, has coached Wellington to the top of the table in the Air New Zealand Cup, with the side assured of first place in the round-robin with one round left to play.
That may suggest more of a tourist trip than a rugby game for his side this weekend but Joseph dismisses the notion there is nothing riding on the match.
He said the side had high standards and would not find it hard to get up against Otago.
"I have every confidence in the team. We want to have a consistent performance and have high standards in the team," Joseph said.
The former All Black said he was looking forward to coming back to Dunedin, with which he had a special connection, not just because of the rugby days but also his time at university.
"I could move back to Dunedin quite easily, but I'm happy here in Wellington," he said.
"It'll be great to get back and see some of the guys."
He said there was no truth to the rumour he had been interested in coaching Otago last year but was knocked back by the Otago union.
"I was coaching in Wellington at the time so I couldn't have come back even if I had wanted to."
When the Otago Daily Times called yesterday, Joseph had just finished training with the team, but he said he took the fat man's track.
Joseph said he had watched the last couple of Otago games and was expecting a desperate home side at Carisbrook on Saturday.
"They are going to come out and attack, because they know they have to score tries to stay in this competition."
"We'll be looking to attack too, as that is our game. It should be a good game to watch."
Joseph has been back in New Zealand for five and a-half years after a spell in Japan, where he represented the national side.
He co-owns a pub in Wellington with former Otago lock Justin Cullen.
Joseph has had had an emotional past two weeks.
His Wellington side won the Ranfurly Shield, convincingly beating Auckland 27-0 on September 20, but his father, Jim, died the following day, from cancer.
Joseph attended the funeral, along with all the Wellington team, last Wednesday, then watched as his charges made heavy weather of beating Tasman in its first shield defence.
"We didn't have great preparation for the Tasman game but we managed to pull out two tries in the last few minutes."
