Herald columnist Justin Marshall breaks down the five franchises ahead of this weekend's NZ Super Rugby launch.

A punter's guide would suggest caution about the Blues. The form guide is not flash.

Benji Marshall has been happy with only one of his three pre-season matches since his switch from league.

The first round of Dream Team Fantasy Super Rugby has come and gone.

It's easy to say this is the year the Blues have to deliver. That anything outside the playoffs simply isn't acceptable for the team based in New Zealand's largest city.

It was no less an authority than Conrad Smith who remarked last year that Francis Saili reminded him of a young Ma'a Nonu.

Wallabies great Joe Roff believes the current crop of Brumbies backs are on the verge of eclipsing the star-studded 2004 backline that won the Super rugby championship.

Blues coach Sir John Kirwan was asked this week about the pressure on him this season, his second as head coach.

This Chiefs appear as well-equipped as any champions to rise above the impediments and repeat their Super Rugby success.

If co-captaining the Chiefs changes nothing else for Aaron Cruden, it at least provides a legitimate reason to chirp at the ref.

In Cory Jane's comeback match in November after eight months out with injury he almost scored a stunning try after two and a half minutes.

There are a number of obstacles a defending champion must clear to remain at the front of the field.

Scouting is just one part of the Super 15 jigsaw; getting players to sign on and then coaching them to success.

It's hard to believe the Chiefs spend any time away from each other.

With the rare and exciting talent the Hurricanes have in their squad, even the most traumatised fan should carry a sense of optimism they can return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

Coach Mark Hammett has spoken at length for the past two seasons about the inexperience and youth in his squad but that won't wash in 2014.

Ardie Savea's apprenticeship is over. After spending most of his first season as a full-time Super Rugby player making up the numbers at training last year that will change in 2014.

A Charles Piutau knee injury has opened the door for Benji Marshall to start at fullback for the Blues against the Highlanders on Saturday.

There are no hard feelings towards the Melbourne Rebels but Quade Cooper has hinted rugby's lawmakers should investigate outlawing some tackles already banned by league .

Five seasons and counting. Recollections of the Crusaders' supremacy are fading as they continue to go through their close-but-no-cigar routine, writes Wynne Gray.

As a coach, Todd Blackadder is prone to all manner of sayings, and one of his standard lines is the one about the definition of insanity being the inclination to do the same thing over and over again, all the while expecting a different result.

If the Chiefs wanted an early examination of their three-peat chances, visiting the Crusaders and leaving 10 players at home fits the bill.