Like the players, we have done the conditioning work,
prepared well and delivered a full review that delves deep into the issues that matter.
01 Can the Blu es be any Worse?
Was last year the nadir? We have thought so many times before that the Blues can’t get any worse...and then they surprise us.
But surely this is the year they finally start to come right? They have a decent tight five now, a few good loose forwards, a world class midfield and the best finisher in world rugby.
And most importantly, they have a coaching set up that everyone agrees is better than it has been for, well...a long, long time.
Will this be the year they finally win a few local derbies, earn a handful of victories on the road and become much harder to beat at Eden Park?
02 Juggl ing the Blindside
The crazy thing about the Highlanders is that they have four of the five best blindsides in the country.
Liam Squire would be number one; Shannon Frizell number three behind Vaea Fifita at two; Jackson Hemopo at four and Elliot Dixon at five.
So how do they accommodate them all? Hemopo will fit in at lock but are they going to go all season without having one of Dixon or Frizell in their match day 23?
That sounds silly and they surely need to come up with a plan to use and not waste such a resource. But then again, is it wise to play people out of position just to have them on the field?
03 Have the Chiefs go t Staying Pow er?
If we are honest, and we don’t often feel that we are, the Chiefs have become a little run of the mill in recent years. They are good but not great. They win plenty but not quite enough.
They have star power but it doesn’t always deliver. They get close but not actually as far as they should.
So can they find the missing piece whatever it may be? Are they going to find the killer touch? Are they going to be more clinical, more ruthless and more consistent?
Will they accelerate into the playoffs and add bits to their game or limp in there and lamely drift out?
04 Is the Grun t Work of the Huricanes up to it?
Okay, if we are always asking the same question about the Blues, then so too are we consistently asking whether the Hurricanes tight five are up to it.
The last few years we have asked and they have answered – definitively that they are up to it. But this year, we aren’t so sure.
They are young and inexperienced at prop and lock and don’t have a seasoned world class performer to rely on in either position.
Is this going to be the year their scrum creaks and lineout fails? Is this going to be the year they can’t hide their weaknesses in the core business of winning the ball?
05 Ful Noise Al Blacks at Cru saders?
It’s World Cup year – which we would like to think you already knew. For the Crusaders that means most of their team are going to be thinking about events later in the year with a plan to peak in September and October.
Which might be problematic for the champions. They might see the likes of Joe Moody, Codie Taylor, Owen Franks and Scott Barrett hold a bit back in the early rounds.
It has happened before and the reality of a World Cup year is that senior All Blacks do tend to hold something back in Super Rugby which can the impact of the teams they play for.