Richard Loe: Unlucky break for some
COMMENT: Some teams will be pretty happy the international break has arrived and others will be disappointed. As a fan, I'm pretty annoyed.
COMMENT: Some teams will be pretty happy the international break has arrived and others will be disappointed. As a fan, I'm pretty annoyed.
The Blues, according to coach Tana Umaga, were tired this week.
The Blues are too far into their redevelopment to be enthused by brave defeats. They can't really shrug off losses any more as all being part of the learning curve.
The Blues gave themselves a chance to win against the Crusaders - and they didn't finish it.
Despite coming off a tough South African road trip, there was nothing tired about the Blues defence.
The Blues can't hold off the Crusaders in the second half as they go down 26-21.
Highlanders first five eighth Lima Sopoaga showed off some unbelievable skill against the Hurricanes last night.
The Chiefs produced a woefully insufficient performance while being thoroughly outplayed by the Waratahs in Sydney.
Losing tonight won't be terminal for the championship ambitions of the Highlanders or Hurricanes.
Adding some intrigue to the grudge match between the Blues and Crusaders at Eden Park tomorrow night is the impending departure of halfback Bryn Hall.
A knee injury has ruled Blues loose forward Tanerau Latimer out of the team to play the Crusaders at Eden Park.
Charlie Ngatai has picked exactly the wrong time to find himself caught up in the fog of concussion.
Cory Jane, Victor Vito, Chris Eves and Julian and Ardie Savea return for the Hurricanes this week.
Sam Whitelock has been scratched from the Crusaders' team to play the Blues on Saturday.
In holding on to beat the Force in Perth, the Blues won two matches on their South African road trip for the first time in eight years.
The attack showed signs of revival and the scrum was as strong as it's been all season but the Chiefs' win over the Rebels also brought a hefty dose of bad news.
COMMENT: It seems inevitable Super Rugby will expand again but I wonder where the extra teams will come from and what it will do to the game in NZ at provincial level.
Somehow the Blues managed to hang on to beat the Force and keep their faintest playoff hopes alive.
The Chiefs are back on top after riding an explosive first half to a bonus-point victory over the Rebels in Hamilton.
The Queensland Reds are breathing a sigh of relief after escaping potential Super Rugby embarrassment against the Sunwolves.
If there was an easy answer to why the Blues have suffered a decade of mediocrity, it would most likely have been found.
Auckland has a stunning talent base. And the city hosts a chronically underachieving, exasperatingly erratic Super Rugby side. Why?
These days Auckland is more like a graveyard for potential All Blacks. They seem to do better in any other franchise.