For the second year in a row, Otago will have the first crack at winning the Ranfurly Shield - not that holder Southland wanted it that way.
• Rugby: Challenge for second shield up
The draw for the national provincial championship - now known as the ITM Cup - was released yesterday.
Otago will take on neighbour Southland in the first challenge of the year on August 7.
Otago last won the shield in 1957 and has had 21 unsuccessful challenges since.
It had two failed shield challenges last year.
Rugby Southland chief executive Roger Clark said he would be very surprised if the ground was not sold out for the clash.
About 1100 temporary seats were to be installed at Rugby Park to bring the capacity up to 19,500.
Southland won the shield from Canterbury last year and has held it over the summer.
Mr Clark said the Otago clash would be exciting, but the Southland union wanted to play Otago later in the season.
"It's not really what we wanted and asked for.
Otago was close to the front, but you want to hold it as long as possible," Mr Clark said.
"From a commercial point of view, we would have liked to have someone else.
But a draw is a draw.
You can't do much about it and you just get on with it."
Otago finished 10th in the championship last year.
Southland was a beaten semifinalist.
