The tournament is a warm-up for the regional qualifying event in Timaru on November 28 and both Otago sides will want to get some games under their belt.
The men's team will again be coached by Luke Herden.
Some regulars over the past couple of years have moved on and will be replaced by fresh blood.
Matt Faddes has joined the Highlanders and is unavailable, Tony Ensor is having a rest and Josh Gordon and Faasiu Fuatai are having or have had operations on shoulders.
Michael Collins has gone to play club rugby in Wales.
Herden said he had not yet picked his side for the qualifying tournament and about 25 players were in training, which has been going for less than two weeks.
Interesting newcomers include big University No8 Sione Teu, King's High School speedster Taylor Haugh, big Otago Boys' High School midfielder Hemauau Samasoni and University back Shae Tucker.
Herden said the side would be trimmed to 12 for the South Island tournament in Timaru, where it would want to finish near the top to get a passage to the national tournament in Rotorua in mid-January.
The team this year was probably not as fast but had more size and would he hard to stop.
Taieri stalwarts Ben Miller and Kori Rupene are the experienced members of the side and Gavin Stark and Mike Mafi may come in, although they are just back from a trip to Malaysia to play in a 10s tournament.
Explosive Otago loose forward Naulia Dawai may come back into the team in the new year but Herden said only one non-New Zealander could play in the national event, so that limited options for most teams.
This weekend, two Otago teams would take on two teams from Southland and a team from South Canterbury.
In the women's grade there has also been something of a changing of the guard.
Key players Rebecca Todd and Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali have headed north and will be a big loss.
There is still a solid core with Greer Muir, Angie Sisifa, Sam Hollows and Mikayla Latta.
Hollows played in the elite national sevens series tournament at the start of the month but is unable to take part this weekend.
The side will be coached by Mike Moeahu. He said it had been working hard on fitness and getting up to speed.
The three games tomorrow will be against South Canterbury, as Southland is not fielding a women's side.
Initially, Southland hoped to field a competitive side but injuries and work commitments meant that was no longer viable.
The bonus for Otago is some of the players from Southland have headed north and want to play for the blue and golds.
