How the NZ teams will finish

01 HURRICANES

We like the way they are set up. TJ Perenara and Beauden Barrett are the best halfback pairing in the competition; Ngani Laumapa and Vince Aso are a strong midfield combination, and if Julian Savea can find some form and Nehe MilnerSkudder makes it back, there is plenty of finishing power playing off ball that Ardie Savea, Vaea Fifita and Brad Shields are going to secure.

They also have the dynamism and inspirational leadership of Dane Coles and, by New Zealand terms, the most established coaching combination of Chris Boyd and John Plumtree.

They will find a way to win those tight New Zealand derbies and top the group.

02 CRUSADERS

Calm down everyone...yes we know that we have tipped the Crusaders to be champions. But we think they will do it the hard way.

They are a quality side, but it might take them a few weeks to get going because they have the largest All Blacks contingent.

That’s a mixed blessing as the star men have to be integrated after their late return and some of them take a few weeks to run the rust out of the system.

The Crusaders may be a little vulnerable in the early rounds and drop a few points that they can’t quite make up.

But come the last few weeks, they will be in top gear and difficult to stop.

03 CHIEFS

This is how competitive the New Zealand Conference is – that a team as good as the Chiefs are being tipped to finish third.

In the last couple of years the top four New Zealand sides have been separated by tiny margins and we expect the Chiefs to be no more than one point behind the Crusaders.

04 HIGHLANDERS

We have been made to look silly by the Highlanders many times before by failing to realise just how good they are at using their indefatigable spirit, relentless defence and ingenuity to go a long, long way.

They are lacking a bit of size and power in the backline but then they have Liam Squire, Aaron Smith, Lima Sopoaga and Ben Smith who can work miracles. And we fancy Aaron Mauger will bring plenty of good ideas, too.

05 BLUES

It’s so tempting to believe the Blues are going to finish higher this year. But they have such a great capacity to disappoint that we just don’t want to go there.

They have obvious areas of strength but they lack depth in their pack. They will probably win more games than they did last year but still not enough to get off the foot of the New Zealand table.