Marc catches up with rising UFC star Israel Adesanya, The FIFA World Cup quarterfinals are upon us while Super Rugby moves up a gear.
Wary of the fact it has endured too many changes in too short a time, Super Rugby bosses will be thankful that the oldest story of all is being re-written to provide a welcome familiarity.
Those who grew up with Super Rugby know that it began life as a cross-border competition at the end of which, the Crusaders won.
Their dominance of the first decade was almost total. They won seven titles between 1996 and 2008 and were beaten finalists on two other occasions.
And they won as often as they did because they set new standards in a fledgling professional world. A dynasty was built on the back of a culture that embraced high performance and put duty of care to the athlete at the centre of everything.
There was an eight-year hiatus in their world domination where they were partly victims of their own success and suffered from having so many All Blacks who were being stretched so hard by the demands of the international game that they never had quite enough left to give to the Crusaders.
The terrible events of 2011 which destroyed their stadium and ripped the heart out of their home city didn't help either and in 2014 they were victims of outrageous bad luck when a plain wrong refereeing decision saw them beaten in the last minute of the final.
But whatever small pieces were out of alignment in that period have been clicked back into place under the coaching of Scott Robertson and the Crusaders are looking so much like champions elect that the TAB would probably be willing to pay out on all those who have backed them.
Unless they take a dramatic wrong turn somewhere in the next four weeks, they will successfully defend the title they won last year.
They are undefeated since March 17 and having won their last 11 games, they have already secured a home quarterfinal and the ability to keep playing in Christchurch all the way through to the final.
Scott Barrett of the Crusaders scores a try during the Super Rugby match, Crusaders V Highlanders. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
And it is almost impossible to see which team has the capacity to beat them on their home patch.
The Highlanders made a gallant effort to do just that last night, but for all their ingenuity, resilience and sheer bloody-mindedness, they couldn't contend with the relentless power of the Crusaders All Black-laden pack.
They couldn't then shut down a backline that was masterfully marshalled by Richie Mo'unga who was expertly assisted by Ryan Crotty and Jack Goodhue who made the space that vastly underrated footballers such as George Bridge and David Havili needed to cut loose.
If it rains in the next few weeks, it suits the Crusaders. If it doesn't rain in the next few weeks, it suits the Crusaders.
And that's what makes them so well equipped to not only win this year, but to keep winning for the foreseeable future.
Robertson has retained that athlete-centric culture that he experienced as a player with the club and rejuvenated a group of senior All Blacks who are without question giving their best to the Crusaders.
The pack is essentially the All Blacks pack minus Sam Cane and Liam Squire and it is one that could stay together, mostly, for some time yet.
The only area that may need attention is finding a long-term replacement for Kieran Read who isn't fancied to stay on beyond 2019.
The backline has even greater potential longevity with Bryn Hall, Mo'unga, Goodhue, Bridge and Havili young enough to be there through to the 2023 World Cup.
The personnel are already there to believe another decade of dominance is possible, as long as the Crusaders can retain Robertson and his wider coaching team for a few more years, too.
The former All Black loose forward is easily the most intriguing and fascinating personality on the professional coaching scene.
A break dancing free spirit who loves to surf, the impression could wrongly be formed he's a make it up as he goes along sort of coach with scant attention to detail.
He's quite obviously not, though and he's built a team that can play rugby in any conditions to almost any style. Just like the All Blacks the Crusaders are triple threat team with the ability to pass, run and kick.
They are as comfortable grinding through the forwards as they are attacking wider through the backs and the spirit, cohesion and determination of the side is obvious.
Robertson feels like he could be establishing another great Crusaders dynasty and as Super Rugby bosses contemplate a return to a round-robin format, it could soon fell like the competition is back to where it all began.
