Steve Hepburn

Otago and Southland are not alone in bringing in overseas talent to plug gaps as most sides look to bolster line-ups in the provincial competition.

Every team has a stinker in them. Otago found it early this season.

King's High School got over a poor start to rack up its first win over Southland Boys' High School in more than 20 years on Saturday to make the final of the Otago premier schools competition.

King's High School will play Otago Boys High School in the final of the Otago premier schools final next week.

Injuries to Otago's outside backs have led to new names taking spots for the side's first game of the Mitre 10 Cup tomorrow.

The All Blacks need the best to succeed although it may be coming at the cost of the Highlanders.

Ryan Martin first started coaching with the West Taieri under-10 side.

Otago under-19 will not lack for preparation when the side gets into its work tonight and when the serious stuff begins next week.

The Mitre 10 Cup kicks off this week and, as usual, there are some contenders and a few pretenders. Rugby writer Steve Hepburn looks at the 14 teams that will try to get to the big dance.

Highlanders boss Roger Clark says Invercargill has not been ruled out as a future host of Super Rugby games, but the franchise wanted flexibility in staging games.

It is hard to miss Louis Conradie - at 2.04m he stands out in the crowd.

Otago first five-eighth Josh Ioane is fine and could play this weekend - but he will not.

It was a bronze-ridden weekend for the Greene sisters.

Caversham put it all out there but came up short in its Chatham Cup quarterfinal at Hancock Park on Saturday.

King's High School won a close one over John McGlashan College in the Otago premier schools competition today.

Otago finished a distant second to a stacked Tasman side in Nelson last night.

The result will be very much secondary when Otago takes on Tasman in a pre-season match in Nelson tonight.