The Highlanders have four away games to start off the campaign.
That does not bother Dermody.
He sees that as an opportunity to strengthen the team’s bonds.
But there are a few quirks. The Blues, for example, get to play the newly formed Moana Pacifika twice, which on paper is a much easier route than playing the Crusaders twice like the Highlanders.
‘‘The draw is always interesting when it comes out,’’ Dermody said.
‘‘The first thing you look at is what everyone else got to make sure it is fair.
‘‘It is a really hard balancing act.’’
So is it fair, though?
The response was diplomatic but the brief chortle conjured up a different impression.
‘‘My understanding is they’ve actually done a two-year draw, so over two years potentially all those games will even out.
‘‘I can’t imagine it is an easy thing to do. I know they went through a lot of different scenarios before they settled on this one and I guess not everyone is going to be 100% happy with it.’’
The New Zealand squads are expected to be announced on Monday.
The Highlanders have only a few spots open, so there should not be too many surprises.
But they have been forced to scour the country looking for a replacement for giant lock Pari Pari Parkinson, who has been ruled out for 2022 with a serious knee injury.
Otago lock Fabian Holland has made a big impression in his rookie season for Otago.
But he is only 19 and Dermody suggested the young man may need more experience.
‘‘We’re pretty settled on the squad. It was a real shame for Pari to get injured the way he did and he is a hard guy to replace to be fair.
‘‘He’s nearly seven foot [2.1m] and 130kg and really physical. But hopefully we’ve done a pretty good job of replacing him.’’
‘‘I don’t think [Holland] is too young but, at this stage, he potentially hasn’t played enough rugby at a high enough level to be able to definitely start a Super Rugby season.
‘‘If we got down the line and he’d trained with us for a full pre-season and had played some games for the Bravehearts ... then he could potentially progress.’’
The Super Rugby teams will assemble for a couple of days next week for medical assessments and to meet commercial commitments.
There is also a 10-day training window from December 13 to December 23 before Christmas.
But the real work starts on January 6 when the teams assemble to prepare for mid-February start.
The Highlanders have lined up a second pre-season game. They will host the newly formed Moana Pasifika in Queenstown on February 11.
A week earlier, they will host the Crusaders in Weston near Oamaru.
The Highlanders opening Super Rugby Pacific is against the Crusaders in Christchurch on February 19.
