Steve Hepburn

If this was a horse race, Scott McLeod is coming from the back of the field and heading for the front.

The Highlanders are likely to lose one of their stars but will welcome back another as the side stops in Perth to face a resurgent Force on Saturday.

It does not rain often in South Africa.

Otago Spirit captain Angie Sisifa has been named in the Black Ferns squad to play in a series of matches next month in preparation for the World Cup later in the year.

The Highlanders will have to make do without their main man at the back for another week.

The Highlanders are looking to make a statement when they take on the Bulls in Pretoria, wanting to do better than just play "good footy".

A love of the game has led John Keenan to pick up the whistle and he is encouraging others like him to do the same.

The game may be worldwide but it still remains the same.

A calf injury to Luke Whitelock at training has further stripped the loose forward stocks of the Highlanders as the side heads to the high veldt to tackle the Bulls.

The days of tired, cramped bodies getting off the plane in South Africa and taking a week to get back up to speed appear to be a thing of the past.

He got a sniff and just did not let it go.

In a first for Otago Boys' High School, four pupils have made the 55-strong New Zealand athletics team to compete in the Oceania Games in Suva from June 28 to July 1.

Highlanders defence coach Scott McLeod has ranked his side's efforts on Saturday night and it is not pretty reading.

The Highlanders are urging those buying tickets to their games to go through legitimate outlets and do not pay over the odds.

The Highlanders' great comeback to beat the Cheetahs on Saturday morning came through belief, execution and, of course, a slice of luck.

King's High School has exploded out of the blocks in the Otago premier schools competition this year.

The Highlanders have sent utility forward Jackson Hemopo to South Africa as the franchise looks to pull some more rabbits out of the hat.