The Super Rugby season is upon us again. An earlier start to the season is just one of many changes to the 2020 campaign, with the competition moved forward by three weeks to avoid the international break. Each week, NZME's resident rugby writers will provide their tips for the weekend ahead and highlight one game that stands out from the rest for the round. This week, we look at the Blues' match against the Chiefs which kicks the season off tonight.
The Super Rugby draw has blessed us with the Battle of the Bombays as the very first game of the campaign. While this has been a tense, physical clash over the years, this year the match has a number of added curiosities.
In his first game as the Chiefs' coach, Warren Gatland has named a surprising starting XV, with young Bay of Plenty first five-eighth Kaleb Trask getting his chance on debut ahead of the returning wily veteran Aaron Cruden. Fellow young gun Quinn Tupaea also gets to start on debut, forcing All Blacks star midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown to the pine.
The Chiefs will also start with All Blacks Atu Moli, Angus Ta'avao and Brad Weber on the bench, while Damian McKenzie being ruled out late gives Shaun Stevenson a chance at fullback to prove he deserves a spot in the match-day 23.
For the Blues, the major talking point is the omission of attacking threat Akira Ioane, who was left out of the 23. Ioane had played every minute of every Blues match over the past two seasons, but will not feature in their opening game of the 2020 campaign.