Canterbury will defend the Ranfurly Shield against North Otago in Christchurch today.
The game will be played with no crowd at Rugby Park. North Otago have challenged Canterbury for the Shield on four previous occasions and the closest they got was a 14-nil loss in 1971.
It is an extra special game for North Otago who won't be able to defend their Meads Cup title this year after the Heartland Championships was cancelled because of Covid-19.
Coach Jason Forrest told RNZ sports reporter, Barry Guy, that it's been a tough year for their players.
