Amid the chat about who would feel the selection blade for the Crusaders, Israel Dagg's demotion was not on the radar after the opening round, writes Wynne Gray.

Sir John Kirwan has put his faith in 20-year-old first-five Simon Hickey, a player yet to make his Super Rugby debut.

Amid the gloom of a disappointing start to the season by the Blues in Dunedin, there were glimpses of positivity.

Sky Network TV's share price has rallied sharply after the company produced a 22pc lift in its first-half net profit, appearing to shrug off any threat from Telecom.

Two on the Blues' skimpy best list will miss the Crusaders' match and probably the side's trip to Africa.

Midfielder Francis Saili, one of the Blues' best players in his team's mostly lacklustre performance against the Highlanders in Dunedin.

It is easy to write off the Crusaders' loss to the Chiefs on Friday as a bad night in front of the posts, writes Justin Marshall. But for me the Crusaders' concerns should run deeper than that.

The Chiefs had injury dramas before they played the Crusaders, now they have even more but frankly, I doubt whether it will slow them down much, writes Richard Loe.

This was a Mulligan for the Blues - a duff drive off the first tee that they can discard and start counting proper as of now.

Join us here for our live blog of the Super Rugby match between the Highlanders and the Blues from Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.

Every year there's at least one player in each Super rugby team who finds another level during pre-season and bursts into contention to make the starting lineup.

The latest information released by Super Rugby's governing body Sanzar about the competition's proposed new format is heavy on possibility but light on detail, writes Patrick McKendry.

Rugby nomad Hayden Triggs was looking for a new job away from the game when he received the SOS call from Blues coach Sir John Kirwan.

The golden season and personal gilt for Brendon McCullum shut the lid on the commotion about captaincy of the New Zealand cricket side.

As a statement, this is about as good as it gets from the Chiefs.

Join us here for tonight's live blog from the Super Rugby match between the Crusaders and the Chiefs from AMI Stadium in Christchurch.

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