Sydney showed why Mark Hammett got it right when he decided to quit as coach of the Hurricanes.

No one within the Chiefs will be too effusive in their self-praise but this display was sorely-needed from the Super Rugby champions.

As sure as the sound of Green Sleeves on a badly distorted PA system means children start whining for ice cream, the halfway point of the Super Rugby season means the Crusaders shift into gear.

It's an impossible business trying to understand this year's competition. The Brumbies destroy the Chiefs one week, are then destroyed by the Crusaders the next.

Are we thinking the Chiefs' wobble is serious? Or is it a glitch which afflicts every side along the lengthy Super 15 road?

Hurricanes players featured heavily in last weekend's round of Dream Team Fantasy Super Rugby but don't get your hopes up for a repeat performance tomorrow.

Super Rugby's new format has been endorsed by New Zealand's players but commerce teams around the country may take more convincing after seeing their most lucrative income stream cut by 25 per cent.

Richie McCaw has proven time again that he can find form straight after an injury break and Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder will be hoping to see those qualities tomorrow.

He's only one man. Well ... that's how the Hurricanes see Waratahs fullback Israel Folau. But Folau is playing like a man possessed this season, racking up huge numbers in Super Rugby as opposition defences struggle to contain him.

As surprise packages go, Patrick Tuipulotu is hard to miss. At 1.98m and 120kg, the 21-year-old Tuipulotu is one of the biggest men in the Blues squad and the way he plays makes him stand out even more.

Super Rugby will rebuild itself along the lines of the NFL from 2016, creating a two division-four conference model that will see local derbies decrease and three new sides enter the fray.

Sir John Kirwan says Steven Luatua is going through a "difficult time" in terms of his form, but Jerome Kaino, a loose forward built on similar lines who took time to fulfil his promise, believes the 23-year-old is on the right track.

The Chiefs have stripped bare their slumping attack in search of more excitement against the Lions this weekend.

A sore ankle won't be enough to stop Will Genia sharing in a significant milestone with Queensland Reds teammate Quade Cooper.