The 2016 draws for the renamed Mitre 10 Cup and Mitre 10 Heartland Championship have been released by New Zealand Rugby today.
Both competitions are set to kick off in August under the flag of new title sponsor Mitre 10.
New Zealand Rugby's General Manager, Neil Sorensen said provincial unions have already been working hard on preparing for the new season.
"We're hearing that people are feeling pretty positive about rugby at the moment. That's probably helped by the All Blacks winning a back-to-back Rugby World Cup, and people seeing the Cup around the rugby community. Investec Super Rugby has also got off to a sizzling start, and we're seeing so much of the talent that was discovered or developed through the national provincial competitions in action," he said.
"As we've seen over the last few years, the provincial competitions continue to be a rich breeding ground for New Zealand talent, and long may that continue. Both the Heartland and the national provincial championship have produced outstanding talent in recent years. I know that many fans spotted early the exciting talents of Malakai Fekitoa, Nehe Milner Skudder, Seta Tamanivalu, Damien McKenzie, Marty Banks and Billy Guyton as they played their way into the fully professional game."
