The newly named Mitre 10 Cup was officially launched in Auckland yesterday with all coaches of the 14 teams there.
The competition may have a new name - courtesy of a new sponsor taking over from ITM - and Otago coach Cory Brown knows there are plenty of challenges to face.
Otago made it through to the championship semifinals of the competition last season before going down to Wellington.
Wellington again looms as the heavyweight of the championships section but Brown was wary of all sides.
''Wellington and Manawatu are the teams to beat, I think. They're full of Super rugby players, big guys who like to run with the ball,'' he said.
''But Bay of Plenty are going to be good again, North Harbour have some good players. There are no bad teams, really. Every team on their day, if you are not prepared, can tip you over.''
Brown said the side played some good rugby last year, scoring the most tries of any team in the competition, and would again look to attack.
''But our defence, we need to tidy that up a little bit. We want to be known as a really tough team which is going to be hard to score against.
''We have got to keep on improving. Have a good scrum and lineout. One thing I think we did last year was we didn't always take the opportunities when they came along. We probably didn't convert enough points when they came along.''
Under the trial laws to be used in the competition this season, the emphasis will be on backing defence and not making mistakes when the side has the ball.
It could get repetitive as sides go phase after phase with teams not committing any players to the breakdown.
Otago starts its season against Southland in Invercargill on August 21 and plays its first four games inside 15 days, forced to play a midweek game against Northland on August 31.
Brown said playing the midweek game was good, as it gave everyone a chance to get a run in the opening four games. Having the extra game at the end of the season had an impact on post-season play.
Otago would complete its pre-season tomorrow with a game against Southland at the Queenstown Events Centre.
Otago has the likes of hooker Liam Coltman and midfield back Tei Walden in the reserves as they return from Super rugby duty.
Mitchell Scott gets a start on the wing, and young prop Jonah Aiona gets a run.
