Jason Rutledge might seem an unlikely rugby hero.
He is neither exceptionally big nor exceptionally heroic-looking.
He answers to the unflattering nickname of "Cabbage".
He also turns 32 on Tuesday, making him almost an antique of the professional rugby era.
But Rutledge has a few things in his favour: exceptional pedigree (his father, Leicester, was an All Black loose forward); a work ethic that comes with being a leading rugby player, a plumber and a father to two young children; accuracy; and a deep-seated passion for the game that has only been enhanced by years in the Super 14 wilderness.
And for a humble bloke from the South who might have been regarded as a bit unfashionable - in rugby terms, at least - he has fashioned a very good record.
He was named Southland player of the year in both 2008 and 2009, and that was as part of a team that included All Blacks, won the Ranfurly Shield for the first time in 50 years and had two top-four finishes in the national championship.
He has been too busy battling on the field.
His Highlanders career has been a stop-go affair.
He was whistled in as a replacement hooker when Anton Oliver wrecked his knee in 2001, he got two caps off the bench in 2004 and he got recalled in 2009.
Even with the Stags, Rutledge has had to battle.
He and David Hall have had a long-running rivalry for the maroon No 2 jersey, although Rutledge has got it sweaty more often in recent years as Hall has been injured or playing No 8.
All this battling has made Rutledge realise he must savour every minute of his professional rugby career.
"It's all about taking opportunities. But if you'd asked me a few years ago if I thought I'd be back in the Highlanders at this age, I'd probably have laughed at you," he said.
"I realise now that if I was to finish playing rugby, I'd miss out on so much. Now that I'm here, I want to stay here as long as I can."
Rutledge is a plumber by trade and his apprentice is fellow Southland hooker and Kings High School old boy Brayden Mitchell.
The pair have been busy the last few weeks getting jobs tidied up before Rutledge went into pre-Christmas camp with the Highlanders.
Tinkering with pipes and drains might seem like punishment for younger players, some of whom have known little life outside rugby since their teens, but for Rutledge it is a type of mental therapy.
"It's a great job. I enjoy it to freshen up from rugby," he said.
"But after a couple of weeks, you certainly start getting keen to get back on the footy field. I'm used to coming home after training feeling buggered. But after three or four weeks of full-on work, you feel a different kind of tired."
Rutledge's younger colleagues, Jimmy Cowan, Jamie Mackintosh and Jason Shoemark, are the designated leaders in the Highlanders, but Rutledge hopes he can play his part in nurturing and guiding the fresh-faced players.
He has played 94 games for his beloved Stags, but it is fair to say none have meant quite so much as the remarkable night in October when Southland pulled off a Ranfurly Shield miracle.
One of the lasting images was the embrace between the Rutledges, Jason and father Leicester, present on the sideline as the Southland manager.
The pair were on Campbell Live the following night in a state of obvious cheer - it was not just the Shield that was being propped up - and one suspects it will be a long time before either tires of talking about the famous win.
"It's been an awesome time, a great experience for the boys and really exciting for the province," the younger Rutledge said.
"We celebrated long and hard after we won the Shield, obviously, but we've also made sure we take it around the province.
"The way Southlanders have embraced the Shield has been amazing.
"I've been to preschools, sporting events, races, rest homes, the lot. The kids just want to touch it, the parents are dying to get a photo with it and the older ones remember what it was like when we had it last time."
Like Southland, the Highlanders have been through some lean years but are seeking to do better through building a strong, experienced core.
Rutledge will play his part in that process and in a general lift in self-belief in a Highlanders squad that has high hopes in 2010.
"We've talked about this a lot already. It's about confidence, I guess.
"You always want to win but maybe, when you're a new team, you have that wee bit of disbelief in the back of your head.
"Last year we were probably guilty of letting games slip where we doubted ourselves.
"Now we've got a group of guys who have been around for a long time and some new exciting talent.
"If we keep that belief, we can turn around close losses. And if we do that, we'll be right up the table."
There should be a good battle in the middle of the Highlanders front row, where Rutledge will compete with Jason Macdonald, keen to make his own statement after missing selection this year.
Rutledge, wife Gina and children Gregor (3) and Olive (9 months) are back in familiar surroundings, staying in the same Dunedin house they made their temporary home last season.
