Dan Carter, refreshed after his break away from the game and energised by his performance against the Sharks and the opportunities of the week ahead, is promising more.

The semifinal was a really good win for the Crusaders; it was a great win for Todd Blackadder and his staff.

Departing coaching director Laurie Fisher is convinced the Brumbies are close to ending their decade-long Super Rugby title drought.

The Crusaders to win by about 12 points. That is this column's pick for the Super 15 final.

We've got the Super Rugby final we wanted as a tantalising entree to the Bledisloe Cup, writes Wynne Gray.

Todd Blackadder was asked how he thought he would feel if he got to lift the Super Rugby trophy as a coach.

Some years back, the Aberdeen Evening Express in Scotland reported on a big storm. At its height, a coastguard was asked by marine authorities to estimate wind speed.

It's off to Sydney then - which will host it's host final after the Waratahs clawed and scrapped their way into the last two.

Corey Flynn's journey to tonight's semifinal, his 150th match for the Crusaders and a clash against Bismarck du Plessis, considered the best hooker in the world, has been a long and often painful one.

It's a very fine line between hero and zero. No one is more acutely aware of that than Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder.

Why the inquiry, surely it's superfluous? Why would the Waratahs alter an adventurous playing pattern that has vaulted them to the top of the Super Rugby series?

You can attribute a large part of the Highlanders' demise last week to their struggles at scrum time against the Sharks.

Afew years ago there was a discussion at Crusaders' management and administration level about what would be considered a good season.

The last time Jean Deysel played against the Crusaders in Christchurch, he spent the night after the game with mixed emotions.

Nothing beats a grudge game and the whiff of verbal cordite is swirling ahead of the Super rugby semifinal between the Waratahs and Brumbies.

The Sharks swept the Highlanders before them in their qualifier by virtue of their powerful scrum but it is an area that the Crusaders, who possess their own heavy artillery, are likely to target in their semifinal.

This is the time when Super Rugby coaches and their players earn their money.

Wynne Gray writes: The real Beast roaming around the Super 15 rugby fields is Sharks captain Bismarck du Plessis.

Losing to the Sharks in pool play was so unlike the Crusaders, especially at home and with a man advantage after Jean Deysel was sent off early, they rarely got out of third gear.

Let's compliment the Highlanders on the way they approached the game against the Sharks, writes Justin Marshall.

It's been another confusing and often boring Super 15 season but Saturday night's semifinal clash in Christchurch should be well worth the wait, writes Chris Rattue.

Even though Henry Speight has been busy with the Brumbies for a while now, you still wanted to rub your eyes.

Todd Blackadder would have made the short journey from his home to the Crusaders' training base yesterday to begin the analysis for his team's semifinal in Christchurch.

Three years ago, Gareth Anscombe was on track to be an All Black. Now he is likely to find himself playing against the All Blacks in November as the 23-year-old first-five commits to Wales.