There have been plenty of near misses, but just one win in 94 years of trying.
That one win was 90 years ago.
It is time. Otago is due.
Coach Mark Brown has the side fizzing this season.
They have shaken off years of underperforming to register wins over the likes of Wellington and Taranaki.
They have got themselves into second place in the NPC standings and have a strong chance of securing a home venue for the quarterfinals.
But the challenge this weekend is immense.
Canterbury are unbeaten in the campaign and lead the standings.
They are full of quality players
And they have beaten Otago about 70% of the time, home and away, since 1976.
They beat Canterbury 15-6 at Lancaster Park on September 21, 1935.
It was Otago’s first Ranfurly Shield victory, and they held on to it until Southland ended their run in July 1937.
Otago have enjoyed three successful defences against Canterbury (1936, 1938 and 1948) but the 1935 win remains the only successful heist in Christchurch.
They came awfully close in 1954.
They drew 9-9 — the holders keep the trophy when the game ends in a draw.
Canterbury trailed 9-6 with the on-field clock showing time up. But they scored deep in injury time to level the score and retain the Shield.
There was another close call in 1994.
A lot of ink has been spilled rehashing the final few moments of that game.
Otago hooker David Latta was penalised for allegedly getting offside at the ruck and Andrew Mehrtens slotted a fairly simple penalty to help seal a dramatic 22-20 win.
Poor old Latta. He played 161 games for Otago and that is the one people remember first.
They were edged 29-26 in 2000 and lost 16-13 two years later.
There was another valiant attempt in 2006. Otago led 14-6 with 20 minutes to play, but Canterbury roared back to win 22-17.
Their last challenge in Christchurch (2017) was another thriller.
Jona Nareki regathered a grubber kick and went on a 60m angled run to the try line to give his side a 24-20 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
They still had their noses in front by four points with three minutes remaining.
But loosie Jed Brown muscled over and Richie Mo’unga drilled a late penalty to seal a 30-24 win.
Canterbury always seem to find a way to thwart Otago.
They took the shield off Otago in 2019 with a 35-25 win at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
That was the last time the two teams met in a Ranfurly Shield challenge.
Nareki and George Bower are the only Otago survivors from that game.
