Steve Hepburn

The Otago Rugby Football Union will honour club stalwarts at home games this season.

Bragging rights over its nearest and sometimes not-so-dearest rival should provide plenty of incentive for Otago tonight.

Otago coach Steve Martin could not fault his side last night after a gallant but fruitless effort in the match against Wellington.

It is halfway through the domestic season and all is not well in the All Black camp. Rugby writer Steve Hepburn looks at the meltdown against South Africa and considers where the team is heading.

Southland is not talking revenge when it takes on Otago in a derby match at Carisbrook on Friday night.

The make-up of the new Highlanders board should be known by the end of the week and there will be three new faces around the table.

First five-eighth Chris Noakes says there will be plenty of might-have-beens this week but there are a lot of positives to be taken out of the agonising Ranfurly Shield loss to Wellington.

The Otago Rugby Football Union is hoping a good crowd gets behind the Otago team in its derby match against Southland on Friday night.

Agony, heartache, depression, call it whatever. Just add it to the seemingly countless near misses for the the men in blue and gold.

The hunger is there and now it is all about desire and accuracy.

After 19 false dawns, 19 what-might-have-beens, Otago gets its chance tonight to again taste Ranfurly Shield glory.

The Hawkes Bay Rugby Football Union does not want to take the Highlanders away from the South, but believes it has the financial and fan support to have its own franchise, its chief executive says.

Adam Thomson and Jason Macdonald make a return to the Otago pack for its Ranfurly Shield challenge against Wellington at Westpac Stadium tomorrow night.

Sean Romans says every player in the Otago team knows the Ranfurly Shield is at stake - and will have a good crack at the shield - but the game itself will not change just because of the log of wood.

The pride of the provinces gets its annual airing starting tonight, as the Air New Zealand Cup kicks off.

Kashi Leuchs has become a student, is taking a breather, and is off to explore the back country of the South Island.

Highlanders winger Lucky Mulipola may have his contract terminated after he appeared in court yesterday and denied an assault charge.

Otago has had plenty of heartache and not a lot of joy with the Ranfurly Shield. With Otago's challenge just two days away, rugby writer Steve Hepburn talks to a man who went close three times and another man who helped set up Otago's greatest shield era.

Former New Zealand Warrior Michael Witt has plenty of big match experience and believes strong defence and confidence is the key to a good performance on Friday night.

Otago has virtually an injury-free squad going into Friday night's Ranfurly Shield challenge.