King will make a rare start in his preferred position of loosehead prop this afternoon, as the Highlanders battle the Force in Queenstown.
King (28), is one of those players who coaches seem to love.
Never complaining, working and training hard, and always contributing.
He has never been a star - he is a prop, after all - and he has got to know the bench pretty well since arriving in the South in 2005.
That first year, while still contracted to Canterbury, he made just the one appearance for the side, coming off the bench to play against the Bulls in Dunedin.
Since then, he has come off the bench another 30 times, but his contribution has never been faulted by coaches.
King said as long as he was contributing he was happy.
"Of course I would rather start, but as long as you can get on for a decent time, then that's fine. The bulk of my games have been off the bench but as long as it is more than five minutes, I don't mind," King said.
"As a prop you're not really going to come on and do something straight away that is going to change the game. You're not a goal kicker or a first five-eighth. You're worrying about that first scrum, hitting rucks and making your tackles."
King said he preferred to play loosehead but often found himself on the tighthead side, replacing Clint Newland.
"Tighthead, there is probably more pressure on you, while on the loosehead there is more room to attack . . . but with Jamie [Highlanders vice-captain Jamie Mackintosh] playing 80 minutes most weeks, I don't get too much time there."
But with Mackintosh injured, King is getting starts, and impressed in a dominant Highlanders scrum against the Chiefs last week.
"Everything just clicked then and we got a good hit-on. But we've been doing plenty of practice and that was an area we've targeted."
King said none of his 50 games game stood out and it had gone quickly, although he fondly remembered his first one.
"I've always enjoyed it. The guys have changed over the years. But everyone has still got on well.
"When I first started there was guys like Carl Hoeft, Anton Oliver, Carl Hayman who were really helpful.'
"Over the years, it would have been great if we'd won more. It is hard to put my finger on why we haven't done better. Maybe teams like the Crusaders have that confidence that they are going to win games. So when it comes down to it they do get up and win those close ones."
King is signed with Southland until the end of next year but said "you never know what is around the corner."
King will be up against former Hurricane Tim Fairbrother this afternoon, and the Highlanders will want to make sure their scrum is rock solid, as it looks to make the most of a day match.
The Force is on the rise, but it is up to the home team to make sure that improvement is derailed.
The Highlanders need to make the most of the expected fine conditions and get the ball wide, to the likes of fullback Israel Dagg and wing Ben Smith.
Those two, along with a returning to form Fetu'u Vainikolo, need to have the ball in their hands plenty of times for the Highlanders to make an impact on the scoreboard.
Upper Clutha will play Wakatipu in the curtain-raiser to today's match, the club game kicking off at 12.30pm
HIGHLANDERS v FORCE
Venue: Queenstown Events Centre.
Time: Today, 2.30pm
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Odds: Highlanders $1.40, Force $2.80
Previous Matches
• 2009: Perth, 33-28 Force
• 2008: Queenstown, 36-28 Force
• 2007: Perth, 8-7 Highlanders
• 2006: Dunedin, 25-22 Highlanders
