It will take a lot more than a romp against an insipid Hurricanes outfit before this punter gets remotely excited about the Blues.

Conrad Smith has given his Hurricanes team a big boost after being named in the side to play the Reds in Brisbane on Friday.

Blues centre Rene Ranger is said to be on his way to French club Montpellier and will leave the Blues at the end of the season, according to reports.

Tracey Nelson looks at the key statistics from the opening round of Super 15 action.

For a speedster, Frank Halai has been a slow burn in rugby. He bumped around in provincial rugby for Counties and Waikato, starred at sevens for Gordon Tietjens but, at almost 25, has just made his Super 15 debut for the Blues.

Struggles may not be over but the signs are looking promising for Sir John Kirwan's men.

Richard Kahui sees himself as unlucky rather than being a victim of a position that takes lumps out of even the most robust.

Watch a replay of tonight's Super Rugby clash between the Highlanders and the Chiefs fropm Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.

We want to see if you are going to give the series a shake and exhibit the ticker and skill for this competition, writes rugby columnist Wynne Gray.

The Super Rugby season proper starts this weekend - for the Chiefs, it's time once again to earn some respect.

The father of All Black props Ben and Owen Franks has defended the modern practice of taking supplements - saying they're used for recovery purposes.

John Kirwan works the room intensely. It is a balancing act for the Blues coach as he searches for the player interaction that is necessary to develop the franchise.