Steve Hepburn

It is not only fans who have increased expectations for the Highlanders next season.

Phil Young first met Tony Brown nearly 20 years ago, and instantly knew they were cut from the same cloth.

Sophie Askin is never too far from the squash court.

Highlanders loose forward Adam Thomson is not quite ready to pull the curtain down on his 2011 season.

The Highlanders will visit every part of the region in the coming season.

The Highlanders will travel to Invercargill after all next year, to face the Melbourne Rebels at the end of March.

A schoolboy, two brothers and a lack of a halfback are features of the list of Otago contracted players announced yesterday.

Jessica Clydesdale probably could not have picked a worse time to pick up a knee injury.

He is only 8 but already a national champion.

The Highlanders should have a better chance of keeping 15 men on the park next season after the retirement from refereeing of Australian Stuart Dickinson.

Otago coach Vaughn Johnson admits his side has made a near perfect start to the season and will have the added bonus of a rare appearance by Brendon McCullum in its next match in the Plunket Shield.

Tony Brown and Phil Young were finally named as Otago coaches yesterday.

The All Blacks will face their oldest foe in their first match at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium.

The Springboks are great, but roll out the green and gold mat for the Wallabies in 2013.

Jamie Joseph says he would be interested in coaching the New Zealand Maori side next year but he would have to know all the details before making a commitment.

Shane Warne made the announcement this week he is getting back into competitive cricket, albeit in the shortest version of the game. He is just one of many athletes who can not leave the changing room for good. Sports reporter Steve Hepburn looks at athletes who have tried to come back to relive former glories.