The draws for the domestic competitions were released yesterday by New Zealand Rugby.
Draws are draws. They come and go and little can be done about them.
Best to work with them and make the most of what lies ahead.
Otago and Southland will do battle in the first week of the competition on August 7, a Saturday, at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Otago will then head north to Napier to take on Ranfurly Shield holder Hawke’s Bay on August 14.
Otago has drawn Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay, Auckland and Waikato in its crossover games and will host Canterbury and Auckland in consecutive weeks.
Half of Otago’s games are played on Sundays. Through the middle of the competition, the side plays on four consecutive Sundays.
It has only one Friday night game, playing Canterbury on August 27.
If Otago wins the shield, its first defence will be against Canterbury.
The side does not play Premiership sides Tasman, Bay of Plenty or Wellington.
Southland will open with the derby match and then head home to take on Bay of Plenty on August 15.
The side also has home games against Counties-Manukau, Northland, Canterbury and Taranaki.
Games on Thursday nights were not played last year and that will be continued this season.
One game will be played on Friday night followed by three games each on Saturday and Sunday.
Tasman won the Premiership last year while Hawke’s Bay won the Championship and was promoted.
North Harbour was relegated to the Championship.
The competition is set to change its structure next year.
In the Farah Palmer Cup, Otago is now in the top section and will face some heavyweight sides.
It kicks off its season with a match against Wellington in the capital while its first home game is against Auckland at the University of Otago Oval.
Its other home games are against Waikato, set to be a double-header with the Otago-Southland men’s game, and Canterbury. The playoffs are due for early September.
The season starts three weeks before the men’s national provincial championship kicks off.
It had those dates when the Women’s World Cup was scheduled and stuck with them despite the tournament being postponed until next year.
In the Heartland Championship, North Otago kicks off the defence of the Meads Cup with a tough game at home against neighbour South Canterbury.
As teams change a lot in the Heartland Championship from year to year it can be difficult to gauge the strength of North Otago’s schedule.
North Otago faces Whanganui at Cooks Gardens and also travels to Westport to play Buller. It plays both East Coast and Poverty Bay in Oamaru.
It does not play Thames Valley, Wairarapa-Bush and West Coast.
