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Blues faith in five-eighths tested
As learning curves go, Simon Hickey's is dauntingly steep. Having made his debut against the Crusaders, he'll now face the Bulls in Pretoria.

Wynne Gray: Hurricanes need to nail Brumbies
It's not panic time yet at the Hurricanes but they need to strike a result tonight.

Rugby: Force focus on return to basics in bid for first win
The Force will go back to basics this week in a bid to end their Super Rugby losing funk.

Barrett: We are better than we look
Aside from a five-minute burst against the Stormers last weekend, the Hurricanes' attack has barely flirted with excitement this season.

Gregor Paul: Injury a blessing for McCaw
The All Black skipper has shown on numerous occasions that he can return to top flight rugby after a long lay-off and play miraculously good rugby, writes Gregor Paul.

Bull rider grabs chance by horns
If Adam Hill gets trampled at the bottom of a ruck tomorrow night it will probably seem like a tickle compared to his former exploits as a bull rider.

Chris Rattue: Old boys club at Crusaders struggling
Coaching inbreeding has turned the champs into comparative chumps, writes Chris Rattue. "That backline is about as exciting and instinctive as a North Korean political rally."

Rugby: Brumbies rally behind hurt flanker
The main message coming out of the Brumbies camp over flanker David Pocock's knee injury.

Rugby: Hodgson humbled to reach 100th cap for Force
There was a time when Western Force captain Matt Hodgson thought he would never get the chance to play a single game of Super Rugby.

ABs: Hansen must keep tabs on Folau
The words "McCaw" and "thumb" might be two of the most searched among New Zealand rugby fans this week.

Rugby: Clinical second half attack puts Chiefs on top
Chiefs coach Dave Rennie accurately summed up his side's performance in their unconvincing win over the Highlanders on Saturday night.

Rugby: McCaw out of action for months
Richie McCaw needs surgery to insert a screw into his broken left thumb which could have All Blacks coach Steve Hansen looking nervously at the calendar.

Rugby: Blues change gears for South Africa trip
It's early days and there are still flaws in their game, most notably their lineout which was put under severe pressure by the Crusaders.

Justin Marshall: Killer instinct taking hold in Kirwan's men
If you're a fan of the Blues, you have every right to feel encouraged by what you saw on Friday night, writes Justin Marshall.

Super Rugby: Fruean puts his former team under the pump
Barely half an hour into Super Rugby 2014 and the Chiefs managed to establish themselves as potential champions with a single play.

Richard Loe: Toddy's charges could do with a good dose of flair
The Crusaders haven't had the start they wanted but I wouldn't be too worried about their longer term prospects. Not yet, anyway, writes Richard Loe.

Rugby: Chiefs show championship credentials
It's early in the piece to be definitive, but the Chiefs gave a strong hint tonight that they can collect a third consecutive championship.

Wynne Gray: Defections prove cruel blow for Hurricanes
In any match the Hurricanes offer a chance of victory through counter-attack from scraps of possession, writes Wynne Gray.

Hurricanes tipped over in Cape Town
The Hurricanes will have to travel home from their two-match tour to South Africa without a win after the Stormers stole a 19-18 victory this morning.

Gregor Paul: Li leads the way as JK's vision leaps into focus
Outrageously young, supremely talented and yet virtually unknown, Tevita Li took a giant step towards stardom last night, writes Gregor Paul.

Blues find their spark
This rollercoaster of a victory over the old enemy has eased the pressure on the Blues - and will also cause a fair bit of soul-searching in Christchurch.

As it happened: Blues v Crusaders
Join us here for live coverage of the Super Rugby match-up between the Blues and the Crusaders from Eden Park in Auckland.