The Highlanders have whistled up two blasts from the past - one from the distant past - to help alleviate their injury crisis.
Southland hooker Jason Rutledge and, rather surprisingly, former Otago midfield back Neil Brew will join the squad in Dunedin today.
Rutledge (35), who ironically spent last week with the Hurricanes as cover for their hookers, always looked likely to return to the Highlanders when both Andrew Hore and Brayden Mitchell succumbed to blows in the loss to the Hurricanes.
But the return of Brew (34) is a genuine bolt from the blue. He has not been sighted in these parts since 2006, when he played the last of his 34 games for the Highlanders and 55 games for Otago.
Brew, who also played for New Zealand Maori, spent a couple of seasons in England, playing for Bristol, and then went to Japan.