Justin Marshall: Champs, Crusaders bonding

Almost every year, the Crusaders galvanise when they travel. Photo / Photosport

The Super Rugby season stretches all the way to August but there can be defining moments at even this early stage of the campaign.

Take the Crusaders and defending champion Highlanders, for instance. If those teams eventually reach the playoffs and potentially progress further, they may look back on this period as being influential.

Almost every year, the Crusaders galvanise when they travel. I've been in that environment before - they're a good group of guys who like to enjoy each other's company on tour.

And while their start to the season has been efficient rather than blistering, this trip to South Africa could prove crucial.

This was the perfect time for the Crusaders to go to the Republic and a good opportunity for them to mould their team. I wasn't surprised they managed to edge the Sharks and I expect they'll also beat the Lions next weekend.

From the Crusaders' perspective, if they get through to the playoffs, come August, they'll look back at this South African tour as being the catalyst.

The same could be said for the incredibly impressive Highlanders, who travelled to Melbourne to tackle a Rebels team who have gone well this season.

Those types of games are always difficult - everyone likes to knock the champions off their pedestal. So you can't help but be impressed by the Highlanders' fortitude and the way they're mapping out their season.

They've had a tough run of away games and performed incredibly well. Going to places such as Sydney and Melbourne and putting in emphatic performances is promising - it shows how well-coached and drilled and, more importantly, how mentally-focused the players are.

The more I see of this team, the more I get the feeling they can string together a few titles. They're a young team and they have the right personnel on and off the field.

Then you have the Jaguares, who might have also experienced a defining period but in a negative way. They were really competitive when they opened the season in South Africa and showed they could possibly even push themselves into the playoffs.

But then they've gone back to Argentina and looked a different side. They've been frustrating to watch and the concerning thing is they're letting themselves down with the fundamentals of the game.

They had 16 handling errors against the Stormers and, the past two weeks, their basic skills have been atrocious.

So while those two Kiwi teams made statements at the weekend to potentially determine the structure of their season, the Jaguares have done the opposite.

If they do improve, I bet they'll look back on the last fortnight as a lost opportunity and a massive negative influence on their campaign.