2020 Mitre 10 Cup draw for defending Champions
By Peter Jones [Marlborough Weekly / Marlborough App]
The Tasman Mako were handed home games againstNorthland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Southland and Canterbury when therevised Mitre 10 Cup provincial rugby draw was released by NZR.
The defending champs will meet Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Southland atTrafalgar Park in Nelson, while fixtures against Northland and Canterbury atLansdowne Park in Blenheim will bookend their home fixture list. TheSouthland showdown was originally pencilled in for Motueka, but is nowscheduled for Trafalgar Park.
The Mitre 10 Cup will start on September 11 and run for 12weeks, it was confirmed by NZ Rugby today.
With NZ Rugby deciding against Thursday matches this year, seven gameswill be squeezed into three days. One match will be played Friday, then threeon both Saturday and Sunday. Two games will be played at 2.05pm each Sunday.The semifinals are set down for November 20-21, with the finals aweek later on November 27-28.
NZR said that Sky TV were committed to broadcastingtwo matches a week free-to-air on Prime, but did not say whetherthey would be live or delayed.
The Ranfurly Shield will officially go on the line in Augustwith holders Canterbury defending against Heartland side North Otagoon August 28.
