A group of more than 20 Argentinian teenage players have arrived in Dunedin for from four to six weeks to improve their rugby skills and also get a bit of life education.
The players are mainly from the Mendoza area in Argentina and have played the sport at various levels.
Otago Rugby Football Union general manager Richard Kinley said the players had a varied line-up of activities throughout their time in the South.
They would have skills sessions most afternoons with Otago union coaches Lee Allan and Seilala Mapusua and also undergo some light strength and conditioning work.
Kinley said it was a pretty competitive programme. All the boys were being hosted by Dunedin families and had settled in well.
Some would learn English and there would also be the chance to go and view Highlanders' trainings. The players would also head to Waimumu to attend the friendly game between the Highlanders and the Crusaders next month.
The connection between Otago and the players in Argentina started about three years ago when Argentinian officials came to see the union to discuss a relationship between the two bodies.
Otago coach Cory Brown and manager Grant Hubbard went over to Argentina at the end of the 2016 season for about three weeks and held coaching clinics and outlined education opportunities.
Kinley said the visit by the players was the next step in the relationship and so far it appeared to be working well. Much work had gone into the scheme before the group arrived on Monday.
The players were keen to learn, and improve their game.
The sport had grown in Argentina had grown over the past few years and the country sees investment in young players as critical for future development.
Kinley said there were plenty of advantages for the union in the scheme. It helped develop the union's staff, gave the union some profile, improved ties around the world and also increased revenue for the union.
He declined to say how much the union was making from the programme.
