The 2015 edition of the Super Rugby competition kicks off on Friday the 13th of February and with the Rugby World Cup in our midst, many players will be looking to cement themselves in their national squads, whatever the cost.
The New Zealand teams are no different, and with the rugby culture being exceptionally popular, plenty of players will be trying to get their foot in the door.
The Blues: Under the coaching eye of Sir John Kirwan and superstar captain Jerome Kaino, the Blues have a lot to prove this season after finishing stone last in a fiercely contested New Zealand conference (and 10th overall) last year. Having lost a monstrous 11 players between last season and now, the Blues are going to struggle to keep themselves in the competition for the pure fact they have not signed enough players of a high enough calibre to fill the gaps. Hopefully adding to their fire power this season is All Black Sevens youngster Akira Ioane who has proved himself more than once as an effective loose forward for Sir Gordon Tiejen’s team. He is one of seven new faces to don the blue jersey this season, along with returning New Zealand star Jimmy Cowan and sevens speedster Ben Lam. While I doubt the Blues will make the final or perhaps even the semi-finals, I can see their new signings lifting them off the bottom of the conference. This year will be a true test of whether Kirwan can keep his cool.
The Chiefs: The Chiefs were one of the more disappointing teams in the 2014 edition. After winning back-to-back championships the previous two seasons, the odds were always stacked against them come the third time around and as many expected, they crumbled under the pressure despite making the quarter-finals (which was a miracle in itself). The Chiefs will have a struggle on their hands this season as far as I’m concerned. Their star flyhalf Aaron Cruden has slipped down the talent roster somewhat in the past few months, being overshadowed by no less than three players who could easily boot him out of a starting All Black position or even off the bench completely and their belief in re-signing the show pony that is Sonny Bill Williams to fill the centre field, an area which has caused its fair share of headaches for coach Dave Rennie, has caused far too much expectation for their team to succeed, expectations that could easily fall very short. An injection of some young talent to their squad however will hopefully breathe some new life into their team as they look to rebuild themselves this season.
The Crusaders: The Crusaders will be using this year to strip the label of the last number of years of “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” and finally win their long overdue eighth Super Rugby title, keeping them firmly in the position of being the most successful team in the history of the competition. After reaching the finals last season (they managed to top their own conference and finish second overall), they lost to the Waratahs in a closely contested final by a single point. Despite losing seven of their players from last season, including two of the Whitelock brothers and hooker Corey Flynn, the Crusaders are pleased to welcome two new faces in Gen Robinson and Jone Macilai to their squad as well as welcome back the ever pleasing centre, Robbie Fruean (as a Crusaders fan, this is extremely exciting news). Although the Crusaders have All Black legends Richie McCaw, Kieran Read and Daniel Carter at their expense, rising star Matt Todd will take the captains armband and hopefully lead his team to all important final and onto the win.
The Highlanders: The 2014 season for the Highlanders was both a season to remember and to despise. After qualifying for the first time since 2000 to make it into the quarter-finals, their happiness was cut short after they were beaten by the Sharks. Like all their fellow conference teams, the Highlanders have been hit by multiple player departures who have sought greener pastures overseas, but they have been able to hold onto key players like Ben Smith, Aaron Smith and Malakai Fekitoa who have proved time and time again they are able to change the tune of any game they are part of. The Highlanders are notorious for their failures at the beginning of the each season and with so much competition this year (and the added pressure of the World Cup), they will need to give it their all right from the get go if they are to make it to the finals yet again this year!
The Hurricanes: The Hurricanes must have had the most unfortunate ending to their 2014 campaign. Finishing the second last round-robin game in fifth position, they were subjected to a bye in the final round and dropped to seventh place, missing out on a qualification spot by just one point! Cleary the Hurricanes will not allow for this to happen again and by fielding a team that boasts names like TJ Perenara, Beauden Barrett, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Julian Savea and Cory Jane, it is impossible to find a more intimidating backline in the competition. Even though they may have lost many of their forward players to the Highlanders alone, their new recruits offer enough quality to their squad as a whole that can make their ambition to reach the finals a very realistic dream.
With so much to prove for so many players, I expect the New Zealand conference to be a closely fought battle right to the very end.
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