Last year marked a historic low for this proud south Auckland club, being relegated to the second division for the first time in their history. But their response to secure immediate promotion to the Fox couldn’t have been better. Coach John Ackland is back, along with a handful of quality player additions. The Leopards’ hopes of a positive finish will depend greatly on the performance of their forward pack, which was their major strength in 2017.

2017 finish: Winners of the Crown Lift Trucks Sharman Cup

Ins: Jonah Sofele (Pt Chevalier), Izak Matene (Marist), Setu Tu (Mangere East), Damon Simanu (Christchurch), Sione Tongia (Australia)

Outs: Nil

The draw: The fixtures list looks fairly balanced for Otahuhu, with games against last year’s play-off teams scattered evenly throughout the first and second round. The Leopards will open their campaign against Marist, before playing Howick in what is a traditional rivalry match in Round 2.