Humble beginnings
Canterbury defended the Log o' Wood 15 times from 1931 to 1934 and two of those successful defences were against its neighbour in the South. The first Shield clash between the rivals resulted in a clearcut 17-6 win to Canterbury. But the match in 1933 proved to be a thriller. Keith Mortlock scored a spectacular try to seal an 8-5 win for Canterbury.
It's ours
Revenge came two years later when Otago got to take the Shield home for the first time. It scored three tries to none, while powerful first five-eighth Dave Trevathan slotted a dropped goal - worth four points then - and drilled a conversion to help clinch a 15-6 win against the old foe.
Hands off
Otago dispatched challenges from Canterbury in 1936, 1938 and 1948 during a period when Otago and Southland dominated the Ranfurly Shield, stringing together 42 successful defences from 1935 to 1950. But Canterbury lifted the Shield from Otago at Carisbrook in August 1950 with an 8-0 victory.
The long wait begins
No-one in Otago needs reminding about the 56-year Shield drought the province endured from 1957 to 2013. And our friends in the north served it up to us on a regular basis.
They got a head start in mid-1950s with two successful defences, although one of the games was drawn 9-9.
The 1970s delivered two more unsuccessful trips to Lancaster Park.
All hype
For the 1984 challenge, a reported 10,000 Otago supporters made the trip north. There were even tentative plans in place to host a reception at Dunedin Airport should the team return home with some extra baggage.
The streamers were not required. Canterbury crushed Otago 44-3. The headline in the Otago Daily Times sport section on the Monday read ''Otago devastated by Cyclone Canterbury''.
Heartbreak and elation
It was personal in 1994. And that is because this reporter was perched on top of a corrugated iron fence cheering for, well, Canterbury. Sorry about that.
About half the 40,000 plus fans left heartbroken when referee Colin Hawke penalised Otago captain David Latta for ''allegedly'' being offside at the ruck with about two minutes remaining.
Otago Daily Times rugby writer Steve Hepburn insisted on inserting the word ''allegedly''. At the time, I remember screaming out ''He's being doing it all day, ref''.
Canterbury first five-eighth Andrew Mehrtens calmly slotted a fairly simple penalty to clinch what was a dramatic 22-20 win.
Poor old Latta. He played 161 games for Otago and that is the game people remember.
Four more
The pace of challenges picked up in the 2000s and a theme emerged - Otago would mount a brave challenge only for the game to slip away. Narrow losses in 2000 (29-26) and 2002 (16-13) were followed by another valiant effort in 2006.
Otago led 14-6 with 20 minutes to play but Canterbury roared back to win 22-17.
The last attempt to pry the Shield from Canterbury's grip resulted in a 36-16 defeat.