Moving a Highlanders "home" game to Palmerston North was not a slap in the face for Otago rugby supporters, says the Otago Rugby Football Union and Highlanders chief executive Richard Reid.
The Super 14 draw released yesterday has seven home games for the Highlanders next year, with four games in Dunedin, two in Invercargill, and one - the match against South African side the Bulls on March 28 - in Palmerston North.
Mr Reid admitted the reason to take the game to Palmerston North was financial.
"The only way franchises in this competition can generate income is you get to keep the income that comes through the gate," Mr Reid said.
"We have struck a commercial agreement with them to host a game which will give us guaranteed income . . . We have got to ensure that the franchise is financially viable."
He declined to say how much money the Manawatu Rugby Union was guaranteeing but said it was a "risk-free" deal.
The match is in round seven.
"South African sides draw the less in terms of crowds and unless we are top of the table then crowds are going to be dwindling. We are in a difficult economic climate and you are asking more or less the same people to dip into their pockets."
The Bulls match was the fourth home game in a row for the franchise and previous seasons had shown a drop-off in gate takings with home games close together.
Mr Reid said he knew some people would be upset, but the board did not think the Otago rugby public was being shortchanged.
"It is not a slap in the face. The Otago rugby public got 12 games this year at Carisbrook, including a test match, and next year they are going to get the same . . ."
Manawatu Rugby Union had approached the Highlanders with the offer and, after consulting the New Zealand Rugby Union, and the Hurricanes franchise, the board decided to go ahead with the venture.
Mr Reid said with the Super 14 possibly expanding in 2010, this sort of agreement might become more common.
Manawatu Rugby Union interim chief executive Chris Ricketts said it was exciting to get a Super 14 game to Palmerston North, and he said Manawatu people had an insatiable appetite for rugby.
The stadium in Palmerston North could hold up to 14,500.
