Tasman begin the defence of their Mitre 10 Cup title this weekend as the competition begins with last year's runners-up Wellington confident they can lift the silverware this year.
The teams are stacked with All Blacks due to Covid putting test rugby on hold and the competiton is as strong as ever with talent spread around the country.
Having the All Blacks with their provincial sides is a big boon for the young players and rookies fresh from high school or club rugby, giving them a rare opportunity to soak up knowledge from some of the best players in the world.
Wellington have four All Blacks in Dane Coles, Ardie Savea, TJ Perenara and Asafo Aumua, with all but Coles playing this weekend.
Wellington play Waikato on Saturday night and captain Du'Plessis Kirifi told Joe Porter that having the test players in camp is one of the few good things to come out of the coronavirus pandemic.
