Hawke's Bay and Southland were the two worst teams in the competition last year but it's only the Magpies who look to have improved going into the 2018 season. The Bay's pack should be solid with anumber of Super Rugby players in the mix, while the Chiefs 9-10 combo of Brad Weber and Tiaan Falcon will provide their backline with stability.
Southland don't look to have improved at all since 2017, other than bringing in 35-year-old James Wilson and former Magpies man Tony Lamborn. It'll be Hawke's Bay that comfortably get the job done in Invercargill.
This Tasman v Canterbury game will be a ripper but Canterbury's offseason losses have been understated. The red and blacks will be without Dom Bird, Luke Whitelock, Richie Mo'unga, Rob Thompson and, for this game, George Bridge. Those are five significant losses, while Tasman have managed to lure in Wyatt Crockett and Solomon Alaimalo, they're a very realistic chance of covering here.
The argument for Tasman has been outlined above. The Mako have won nine of their last 10 at home and could well upset the defending champs in their season opener.
Wellington will be one of the teams to beat in the Premiership and have opened as second-favourites to win the 2018 title. They face Championship favourites Otago in their first game of the season but there seems to be a bit of a talent gap in this match-up. The backlines should be reasonably even but Wellington looks to have a big upper hand in the packs, boasting the likes of Thomas Waldrom, Sam Lousi, Jeff To'omaga Allen and Vaea Fifita. This means the potential for a big Wellington win is there.
