Joe Latta is back and making his mark in club rugby for Zingari-Richmond.
Latta (22) was lock for the Otago Boys' High School First XV in 2008 and 2009, and left Dunedin in 2010 to play for Wellington College.
He was selected in the New Zealand secondary schools team in 2010 and played for the New Zealand under-20 team in 2012.
Latta played premier rugby for Poneke and was in the Wellington ITM Cup squad.
''The skillset in premier rugby in Dunedin is the same as Wellington but it is less physical here,'' Latta said.
''The size of people in Dunedin is a lot smaller. We don't have as many large ball-carrying Polynesian guys.''
Latta is enjoying being back in Otago after five years. He works as a trainee digger driver at Fulton Hogan.
''I grew up in Otago and it's where I want to be. The family farm is just down the road at Owaka and my mates from school are here.
''Dunedin is the city where I've lived most of my life and it's good to be back here with the locals. I'm enjoying being back in Dunedin playing club rugby for Zingari.''
He came back to Dunedin last year but missed the rugby season because of a hip operation.
Latta had no connection to Zingari when he last lived in Dunedin. But he remembers training at Montecillo.
''Peter Buckley was my Otago under-14 and under-16 coach and we used to train here at night time in the freezing rain,'' he said.
His target now is to make the Otago squad and the Highlanders. He is in the Otago team's wider training squad.
The locks he admires most are Springboks Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield. He was also a fan of Otago and All Black prop Kees Meeuws.
''If I could get a combination of those two locks, I think I would be an All Black,'' Latta said.
''They were my rugby idols when I was at school, when I started to take rugby seriously.''
Latta grew up on a beef and sheep farm at Owaka. His father, John, played 66 games as a prop for Otago from 1983 to 1987.
''It would be outstanding to follow in Dad's footsteps and play for Otago,' Latta said.
Latta was also a talented rower when he was at Otago Boys' High School. He won a gold medal in the under-16 double sculls at the Maadi Cup in 2008.
Younger brother George also played lock in the Otago Boys' First XV and is now on a rugby scholarship at Lincoln University.
Older brother Tom does not play rugby - he is a musician. Latta also has a 3-year-old half-brother.
