Arran Pene played 111 matches for Otago and 15 tests for the All Blacks between 1988 and 1995, and played alongside the likes of John Timu, Jamie Joseph, Josh Kronfeld, John Leslie and Jeff Wilson for the blue and golds.
The 47 year old lives in Hamilton and co owns and manages the Speight's Ale House in the city, but rugby has brought him back to Dunedin for the week.
His son Zac (15) plays in the front row for Hamilton Boys' High School's under 15 team, which is competing in the national tournament in Dunedin.
''Every day is a great day in Dunedin. It's good to be back in town,'' Pene said, despite miserable weather on the first day of spring yesterday.
Pene, who is originally from Hamilton but grew up in Raglan, moved to Dunedin in 1987 to study physical education and marketing at university.
He first represented Otago in 1988 and the All Blacks in 1992, before leaving Dunedin in 1996 to finish his playing career in Japan.
Pene is not the only former representative player in Dunedin this week with sons playing in the under 15 tournament.
Former All Black and Otago halfback Ant Strachan's son Thomas is playing halfback for Auckland Grammar School.
Leslie's son Jack is playing halfback for Otago Boys', and former Waikato captain Deon Muir, who played for the Chiefs and New Zealand Maori, also has a son, Caleb, playing flanker for Hamilton Boys'.
''It's good to catch up with a lot of the guys, actually,'' Pene said.
''This rugby is great; it's still raw, the kids are having a go. They go hard, but as long as they play, that's the main thing.''
When asked whether his allegiance lay in Otago or Waikato, Pene was quick to say Otago. He thoroughly enjoyed watching the Highlanders win their first Super rugby title this year, calling it ''absolutely fantastic'' for the province.
Pene's oldest son, Sam (19), who plans to move to Dunedin to study next year, is also a ''staunch'' Otago and Highlanders fan, but the same cannot be said about his two other sons. Ned (13) supports Wellington and the Hurricanes, and Zac is a Hamilton and Chiefs fan.
Pene was last in Dunedin to watch the final test match at Carisbrook 2011, but plans to come back and watch a game at Forsyth Barr Stadium ''one day''.
Hamilton Boys' was beaten 5-3 by St Patrick's College yesterday.
