Watch live from Invercargill - ITM Cup New Zealand Rugby -- rugby.trueonlinetv
The 2011 ITM Cup is the 35th provincial rugby union competition in New Zealand, the sixth since the competition reconstruction in 2006 and the second under the new sponsor of ITM (Independent Timber Merchants).
The new competition format from 2011 will see 14 teams split into two divisions of seven teams based on their on-field finishing positions in 2010. The top seven teams will form the Premiership and the bottom seven the Championship. Teams will play all other teams in their division plus four teams from the other division (there will be an innovative new process for teams to select their cross-division opponents with the detail to be finalised in the first quarter of 2011). All matches will carry full competition points. Due to the ITM Cup season running up against the 2011 Rugby World Cup, to be held in September and October in New Zealand, the competition window will be truncated. Three midweek matches will be held during the regular season, and there will be no semi-finals; the top two teams in both the Championship and Premiership will advance directly to their respective finals. Semi-finals will return to both competitions in 2012.[1]
The winner of the Championship will receive automatic promotion to the Premiership replacing the 7th placed team in the Premiership which will be relegated to the Championship.
Southland host Waikato at Rugby Park Stadium in Invercargill for Friday's opening Premiership game of the 2011 ITM Cup.
The Stags hold home and psychological advantage in this Round One clash, with the Mooloo Men having to face the wrath of Southland's die-hard supporters whilst attempting to avenge back-to-back defeats to their hosts.
The southerners got the better of Waikato (16-6) at the same venue in 2009, and again at Waikato Stadium (7-6) for the first time ever last year.
With the Highlanders having a strong season this year, expectations will be high for the Stags to emmulate the franchise's success with several players with Super Rugby experience running out in maroon.
Chris King, Jason Rutledge and Jamie Mackintosh made up the Highlanders front row, and will scrum down together once again for Southland while Josh Bekhuis and John Hardie impressed at lock and flank respectively in Super Rugby.
In the backs, Highlanders trio Robbie Robinson, Kendrick Lynn and Matt Saunders will pose a threat while All Blacks scrum-half Jimmy Cowan's little brother Scott can be a real thorn in any opposition's backside.
Waikato, last year's finalists, aren't short on Super Rugby experience either and their starting XV packs quite a punch with discarded All Blacks winger Sitiveni Sivivatu and fly-half Stephen Donald lining up in the backs.
Waikato rugby legend Marty Holah returns to the Red, Yellow and Black number seven jersey after four years and New Zealand Seven's rising star Declan O'Donnell debuts on the left wing.
Based on pre-season form, Waikato will enter this match reasonably confident having bagged wins over Counties-Manukau and Taranaki after losing to Auckland in between. Southland went down to Otago 13-8 in their only warm-up game of the season.
"We are all looking forward to getting our campaign under way for 2011," said Waikato coach Chris Gibbes.
"Southland are a fierce rival of ours and we are expecting a massive arm wrestle in Invercargill, but we are up for the challenge."
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