
Scotty Stevenson: Big Yogi everything a great team man should be
The problem with a guy like Johan Bardoul is this: you never quite know whether or not you should be taking him seriously.
The problem with a guy like Johan Bardoul is this: you never quite know whether or not you should be taking him seriously.
They're traditionally slow starters in Super Rugby but losses to the Rebels and the Chiefs and an unconvincing win over the Highlanders may have some alarm bells ringing in Christchurch.
The game against the Chiefs got away from them but I certainly wouldn't be pushing any panic buttons with the Crusaders just yet, writes Justin Marshall.
Saturday night's 40-16 win at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton saw the Chiefs' late blitz break open the game and confound those expecting the latest tense chapter in this rivalry.
A victory over the Lions will open the release valve a little, but there will be little respite because the Blues' assignments to follow are extremely tough ones.
Three weeks into the season and it's apparent Tom Taylor and the Blues should have become an item, so to speak, at the end of last year.
I hope the Hurricanes, who have won their opening three games on the road, don't get back to Wellington and think the hard work is done. It's only just beginning, writes Richard Loe.
The Blues are becoming good at finding new and unusual ways to lose.
There is genuine concern among NZ's franchises they have been thrown a hospital pass with next year's Super Rugby set-up.
The Chiefs produced a performance tonight that suggested that their status as competition favourites is mired in reality, not myth.
Join us here for tonight's live blog of the Super Rugby showdown between the Chiefs and the Crusaders from Waikato Stadium in Hamilton.
The Blues are becoming good at finding new and unusual ways to lose.
This has been some road trip for the Hurricanes. Chris Boyd's side has made it three from three with a 42-13 victory over the Western Force in Perth.
Past history has shown that clashes between the Chiefs and Crusaders can be decided by a whistle and a kicking tee.
The Highlanders scored a late try through Waisake Naholo to earn their first win of the season against the Reds in Dunedin.
Gregor Paul on Dan Carter: 'Once he could hop about on one leg and still be the All Blacks' preferred choice at first five."