Otago will play three Wednesday games in the strangest domestic competition New Zealand has seen in years.
The draw for the ITM Cup was finally released yesterday and features games spread across every day of the week apart from Monday.
The competition has been split into two divisions, and must be crammed into eight weeks this year because of the Rugby World Cup.
Otago's first game is against North Harbour at Carisbrook on Thursday, July 14. It then faces away games against Auckland and Hawkes Bay in the space of five days.
The Otago-Southland clash on Saturday, August 6 has been pencilled in as a farewell to Carisbrook, and the rather low-key Otago-Manawatu game on Wednesday, August 17 is scheduled to be the first game at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Southland gets the first crack at the Ranfurly Shield when it challenges Canterbury on July 22.
Otago's best hope is if Canterbury loses the shield to Waikato on August 10. Otago would then challenge Waikato just four days later.
