Lindsay Horrocks kicks during the Heartland Championship's Meads Cup final with North Otago in Oamaru last October. The two sides will rematch at Cooks Gardens on September 5. Photo / Getty Images
Steelform Wanganui coach Jason Caskey spoke of his desire to get the first three games of the 2020 Mitre 10 Heartland Championship "right", but this coming season's representative draw will not make that an easy task.
New Zealand Rugby announced their Heartland and Mitre 10 Cup draws last week, and Wanganui will again be frequent airport visitors, given their two closest neighbouring unions in Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wairarapa Bush are coming to Cooks Gardens for return games from last year's away fixtures.
Wanganui will be flying to both the Canterbury unions – making their first trip to Timaru's Alpine Energy Stadium since 2017 to take on last year's Lochore Cup champions South Canterbury on August 29.
They will go back through Christchurch aiport for the September 26 game with Mid Canterbury at the Ashburton Showgrounds.
The North Island games are not much easier.
There will be a September 12 clash with recent rival Thames Valley, in a replay of the bruising 2019 Meads Cup semifinal in Paeroa, while the round robin will end against Wanganui's other neighbour King Country, who in a change of pace are taking the October 10 derby match to the Taumarunui Domain, rather than Te Kuiti's Rugby Park.
It can't be known in late February-early March which Heartland unions will emerge as logical Meads Cup contenders – King Country a prime example of fluctuating fortunes after they went from 2018 semifinalists to finishing 10th last year.
However, after 2019's disastrous start with three narrow losses leaving Wanganui 11th on the table, before winning six straight games to make the Meads Cup final, they will be very wary of the first half of the 2020 round robin.
There is the always-challenging derby match with Horowhenua-Kapiti at Cooks Gardens on August 22, followed by the aforementioned trip to Timaru the following weekend, home again to face reigning Meads Cup holders North Otago at Cooks, and then heading to Paeroa to face the Swampfoxes.
Wanganui managed to defeat North Otago in Oamaru during the round robin last September in a manner more convincing than the 27-22 scoreline suggests, but were mentally and physically bashed up by the time they went back for the final on October 26, being outplayed 33-19.
At the time of his reappointment last year, Caskey noted he could not have a fresher overall squad, due to their rough start.
"The first three games, you want to get that right, we were hoping we could be in that situation to give more of the young guys an opportunity.
"Resting guys who are longer in the tooth.
"Unfortunately, dropping the three games, you just haven't got the leeway.
"[In Oamaru] guys were sore, tired, still excited for the final, but it's hard to get back up."
Another factor of note in the draw is Wanganui could possibly miss the chance to regain the coveted Bruce Steel Memorial Cup.
Wanganui surrendered the Cup in the 2019 season opener to Wairarapa Bush 28-18 – only the second time in 49 years they had lost the silverware to the Masterton union.
Wairarapa Bush then just clung onto the Cup against Horowhenua-Kapiti, winning 25-20 in October.
Those sides will rematch this year on September 5, with Horowhenua-Kapiti taking the match to the Shannon Domain, meaning they could win it off Wairarapa Bush before Wanganui gets their own rematch on October 3 at Cooks Gardens.
Between the amateur Heartland and professional Cup competitions, there will be more than 130 NPC matches played across 12 weeks of competition.
The big match of the opening round of Heartland will be Meads champions North Otago facing Lochore champions South Canterbury in Oamaru, in a rematch of last year's Timaru thriller where North Otago won the Hanan Shield in what was considered an upset at the time, 26-20.
NZ Rugby Chief Rugby Officer Nigel Cass said the announcement of these draws signals the official countdown to the provincial season.
"There is no denying the special place these competitions hold in the rugby calendar.
"These provincial rivalries have shaped our game and you never quite know what the next chapter might bring."
Before the competitions start, two Heartland teams will get a shot at the Ranfurly Shield, as current holders Canterbury have again mandated mid-season games in July.
Lochore Cup semifinalists last year, Buller will get their chance on July 11, with Meads Cup winners North Otago taking their mandatory challenge the following weekend.
Canterbury's challengers during the Mitre 10 Cup are currently scheduled to be Taranaki, Wellington, Waikato, Otago and Auckland.
Like the changes in Investec Super Rugby, evening Mitre 10 Cup fixtures will now kickoff at 7.05pm, instead of 7.35pm.
The Wanganui draw is
August 22: vs Horowhenua Kapiti, Cooks Gardens
August 29: vs South Canterbury, Alpine Energy Stadium Timaru
September 5: vs North Otago, Cooks Gardens
September 12: vs Thames Valley, Paeroa Domain (2pm kickoff)
September 19: vs Poverty Bay, Cooks Gardens
September 26: vs Mid Canterbury, Ashburton Showgrounds
October 3: vs Wairarapa Bush, Cooks Gardens
October 10: vs King Country, Taumarunui Domain