New Zealand has more than 500 rugby clubs, which makes selecting a 'First XV of classics' an endeavour sure to stir spirited discussion. Our selection criteria was based on All Blacks produced, championships won, history, uniqueness and rivalry.
We have tried to avoid, where possible, Marist clubs, High School Old Boys' and Varsity clubs because they represent massive institutions (the Catholic church; traditional single-sex state education networks; universities) rather than community.
Christchurch HSOB warrant a place on the list due to their unique reputation of being a first five factory and Otago University also makes an appearance through sheer weight of All Blacks and its indelible part of that particular province's rugby history.
The list is subjective and those clubs who feel aggrieved by their omission should write in for a potential redux in 2021.
Our First XV of classic Kiwi clubs will be rolled out three a week over five weeks.
Week 1:
North Shore Rugby and Football Club
Tukapa Rugby Club
High School Old Boys (Christchurch)
Week 2:
Petone Rugby Club
Manurewa Rugby Club
Glenmark Rugby Football Club
Week 3:
Ponsonby Rugby Club
Waitete Rugby Club
Morrinsville Rugby and Sports Club
Week 4:
Southern Rugby and Football Club
Nelson Rugby Football Club
Otago University RFC
It was a glorious run. And the men involved remain very proud of it.
But even the staunchest of Invercargill Blues rugby characters accept that their time alone at the top is over.
And they even say it is no bad thing, their main concern now being the overall health of the national sport in a large, sparsely populated province, at a time when the game is facing new challenges everywhere.
The Blues remain the statistical leader in Southland rugby, with 32 Galbraith Shield triumphs and six All Blacks on the books, all emerging from the ground at Balmoral Drive where the club has been situated since inception.
Their list of premiership wins includes a magnificent run of eight successive titles which began in 1987, with 10 players involved in all of those campaigns.
But their win last year was the first since 2005, with Woodlands, Star and Marist shading the Blues since. The once mighty club from the southern side of the city even battled at the foot of the premiership table after losing the 2012 final and suffering a player exodus.
Simon Culhane, one of those six All Blacks to emerge from the Blues, says: "It's frustrating sometimes when your club isn't going as well as you hope, but every club has its day. It ebbs and flows.
"In the last few years different teams have won it, but I think that is good for the game."
It's a thought echoed by the man who followed Culhane in the Blues No 10 jersey, Sean Colyer.
"You can see how detrimental it is for some sports if one team is completely dominant," says Colyer, who played more than 200 games for the club, and is a keen keeper of Blues stats and history.
"It is more interesting when the title is shared around."
The club's All Blacks include the fascinating Henry Braddon, listed as All Black No 2, the first All Black to be knighted, and who - in 1949 - became the oldest living All Black.
Born in India, he was an Aussie who moved to Invercargill on a bank transfer, and made the first New Zealand side in 1884, a privately arranged tour to Australia.
Braddon, an outside back, stayed in Australia after the tour and had a big commercial and political career. The Highlanders and Waratahs have played for the Sir Henry Braddon Cup since 2017.
That first New Zealand side contained another Invercargill Blues player - forward James O'Donnell. He distinguished himself by getting arrested on the way to Wellington, his creditors apparently fearing that he would not return after the tour to Australia.
They were right. O'Donnell didn't come back, and ended up playing for New South Wales.
The club's history of success will live on in very different times, even if the endless title wins and cluster of fascinating All Blacks have petered out.
There's a drawer in the clubrooms with a filing system of photos, the Galbraith Shield shining out from many of them. In four years the club will celebrate its 150th anniversary.
There's also some living history. Flanker Daniel Townson, a 38-year-old fibreglass engineer, is still in the side, and approaching the 250-game mark.
And in 2008, when the premiers moved to an abandoned squash centre next to the clubrooms, Southland and Super Rugby back James Wilson introduced a new idea, with players' names now permanently placed above their gear hooks in the changing rooms.
It's the wider picture, says Colyer, which concerns many club people.
During Covid-19, the number of teams in every division - including the premiers - was reduced to six, whereas eight to 10 is the ideal number in the top division.
The sub-union system was scrapped in the 1980s but Colyer says the rugby community is now scratching its head over how to deal with the time-consuming travel distances.
Whatever the future holds, there is a solid spine at the Blues including their most famous recent All Black.
Culhane carried on Invercargill's quirky All Black traditions when he scored 45 points on his test debut against Japan at the 1995 World Cup, an All Black match points tally which stands well clear to this day.
He continues to support the club - his home builder franchise is one of the Blues' sponsors, and he gets to as many games as he can.
Culhane often stands next to his old Blues mate David Henderson, his Southland Stags co-coach for a number of years.
"We often stand with a few of the old coaches at the game, and talk about the old days," he says.
"We try and instil some history and pride in the newcomers ... but there is quite a high turnover of players at clubs now."
Culhane says many of the young players see club football as a stepping stone for their own purposes, rather than having the old do-or-die loyalty.
But there is still some lively club rivalry banter to be had during the week. Many of those who did battle with and against each other on so many Saturdays still see each other regularly in everyday, provincial life.
"Our clubs survive on the efforts of good Southland people. I could tell you the names of them [the stalwarts] from every club," says Culhane.
"I'm sure it's a similar story for all of the rugby clubs around the country."
