North Otago will challenge Otago for the Ranfurly Shield on Tuesday night in Dunedin.
The North Otago Supporters Club will be there in full force as members are taking a bus to Forsyth Barr Stadium.
President Mark Herron said 20 members will make the trip south with another 18 non-affiliated fans.
There were also a handful of members who live in Dunedin who will join up with the group on Tuesday.
Herron said they were looking forward to seeing their team have a crack at the shield for the first time since 2021.
"They’ve been waiting a while for this. It’s taken a while to get here but it’s on our door step now.
"We like to be there to show the team they’ve got support no matter where they’re playing.
"It’ll be a big privilege to be there."
A Heartland side beating an NPC team is always a tall task. However he was optimistic about the Old Golds’ shot.
"You put a team on the field, you’ve got a chance.
“It would look good bringing that home on the front of the bus."
It has not been happy hunting for the Old Golds in recent shield challenges.
Their last came in 2021 against Hawke’s Bay in which they lost 85-0. The year before that they went down 71-7 to Canterbury. The last time they had a challenge against Otago was in 2019. The game was played in Oamaru and the Old Golds lost 49-14.
The team enjoyed a resurgent 2025 campaign in which they won the Lochore Cup.
The supporters' club will also celebrate its 30th anniversary in August.
"We’ve got a good core together that just keep on rolling around year after year and we just love the game of rugby."
