Just five days after the All Blacks walked off the field in Cardiff, the Highlanders squad will assemble to prepare for the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Not all of the players will be sweating in the November heat, obviously.
Star forwards Ethan de Groot and Fabian Holland have both had hefty workloads this year and will be on leave until late January, though you can guarantee both men will be loitering around headquarters before then.
All Blacks XV players Caleb Tangitau, Jack Taylor, TK Howden, Sean Withy, Folau Fakatava and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens will not be on duty until December 18, while 91-test Pumas lock Tomas Lavanini does not arrive until the new year.
There will still be plenty of players on hand for some fitness testing this morning as the Highlanders named a squad of 38 plus nine wider training squad members, and there are usually a couple of academy players on hand as well.
It also appears the Highlanders, like the other New Zealand teams, will unveil their 2026 playing strip today.
The Highlanders stay in camp until December 19, break for the Christmas period, and get back together on January 6.
Their first preseason game is against the Crusaders in Timaru on January 30, their second is against Moana Pasifika in Queenstown on Waitangi Day, and their opening Super Rugby game is against the Crusaders at Forsyth Barr Stadium on February 13.
