New Zealand provincial rugby's Ranfurly Shield at AMI Stadium in before Canterbury's last Shield defence against Otago.

Most have written off the Stags in their attempt to get their hands on the prized Ranfurly Shield on Friday night and the TAB is at the front of that queue.

Southland are 0-3 to date in 2017 and have been given close to no hope by the TAB for Friday night's showdown with Canterbury in Christchurch.

In a rare move for a provincial rugby fixture in New Zealand, the TAB has suspended betting on Canterbury in the head-to-head option.

The New Zealand betting agency is not even willing to offer up $1.01 odds for fear someone might throw a big bet on them.

READ MORE: Southland Stags' problems wide-ranging

That is despite Southland beating Canterbury three times in Christchurch in the past nine years, while Canterbury were also pushed right to the final minutes of their last Ranfurly Shield defense against Championship division team Otago.

While the option to bet on Canterbury has been suspended they have offered up 18 to one odds for a Southland win - maybe the longest odds ever for New Zealand provincial rugby.

The TAB is offering just $1.03 for Canterbury to win by 13 or more points highlighting just how favoured the red-and-blacks are to brush past Southland.