The magnificent mob.
The golden generation.
Call them whatever you like, essentially they are just a bunch of mates near the beginning of a very exciting rugby journey.
Seven Highlanders under-20 players were named in the New Zealand under-20 side earlier this week.
Towering lock Fabian Holland, who made his Super Rugby Pacific debut this year, is joined in the forwards by Green Island lock Oliver Haig and Southland flanker Hayden Michaels.
Highlanders under-20 halfback Noah Hotham, who plays for Tasman and is rumoured to have signed with the Crusaders, has also made the side, alongside Green Island duo Jake Te Hiwi (midfield) and Finn Hurley (first five-fullback).
And Taieri super boot Cameron Millar completes the crew, of course.
The first five gets to strut around the flat he shares with Holland (Dunedin) and Hotham (Alhambra-Union) because Taieri is unbeaten in the Dunedin premier competition.
The 19-year-old also has a very strong connection with the Gore collective. Incredibly, the tiny Southland town has supplied the New Zealand under-20 team with three players — Millar, Hurley and Michaels.
And they even played for the same club — Albion-Excelsior.
The club had two under-12 teams back in the day. Millar was in one and Hurley and Michaels in the other. Both teams were unbeaten that season but drew 12-12 against each other.
Talk about old scores.
"I guess it is a bit unusual, eh — so many coming from a small town," Millar said.
"But I always knew the boys were going to crack it. They were always pretty good growing up.
"It is just great we’ve all made it at once. We played all the way through the age groups together."
Michaels is the only one of the three still based in Southland and could be heard chipping his mates "I’m the only real Southlander".
Old scores you see. They get settled again and again.
The New Zealand under-20 team will play a warm-up match against Argentina in Australia before the four-team Oceania championship gets under way on the Sunshine Coast.
New Zealand opens its campaign with a game against Fiji on July 1.
It has Argentina on July 5, and rounds out the tournament against Australia on July 10.
Millar is ready for the step up.
"I’ve been in the Highlanders environment preparing for this and even with NPC last year."
He trains "almost every day". That is how you get good at kicking goals. That is how Kane Williamson got good at hitting cricket balls. Practice, practice, practice.
"I just enjoy it. It doesn’t really feel like training."
While Millar has obvious natural talent, learning to cope with the pressure is something he has had to work hard at.
"Now I’m pretty confident after a few years of dealing with that."
And if he misses the odd goal now and then, his mates will be there to settle the score.
