The next fortnight for the Chiefs will be about surviving rather than thriving in an increasingly crowded New Zealand conference.

Richie McCaw is poised for a return to the Crusaders next week, an addition which will boost the team's increasingly competitive loose forward mix.

When Daniel Carter finishes his sabbatical towards the tail end of the Super 15, they should steer the All Black towards playing for the Blues.

The Highlanders are officially a rugby miracle after upsetting the pacesetting Sharks in Durban.

John Kirwan labelled last night's victory over the Waratahs as a critical one for the Blues as a franchise.

Crusaders utility back Adam Whitelock is the surprise addition to the New Zealand Sevens squad for the World Series tournaments in Glasgow and London next month.

On a day of remembrance it was fitting that Jerome Kaino provided so many evocative glimpses of his former self.

Join us here for today's live blog of the Super Rugby showdown between the Blues and the Waratahs from Eden Park in Auckland.

No one should feel at ease, least of all the Blues today, when Israel Folau is primed for action.

The Crusaders' No10 has been the form first-five of the past few weeks of Super Rugby. So well has he played, in fact, that Steve Hansen and his brains trust could do worse than pencil him in to the All Black squad for the June series against England.

Face it, people: there is no escaping history today. Even that opening sentence is now in the past and you're still in the same paragraph. So, really history is always just behind you. History is time's version of stalking.

The description of a developing Blues first-five as a player with "X-factor" should probably start alarm bells following the Benji Marshall experiment.

After ten rounds of Dream Team Fantasy Super Rugby, it seems like the perfect time to point out which players are trending upward and which aren’t worth your precious millions in the game.

Benji Marshall's rugby union experiment is likely to cost him $2 million, with the player set to return to Australia as soon as tomorrow to finalise a budget conscious NRL comeback.

Simon Hickey's experience running the cutter at the ailing Blues should stand him in good stead as the skipper of the New Zealand Under-20s in June's Junior World Championship.

Benji Marshall saved his best performance for the Blues until the end. There were smiles and laughter yesterday at Eden Park in what became a eulogy for his failed rugby experiment.

Hookers are usually a gnarly benchmark for Super Rugby sides. Some of the younger brigade have not collected the creased faces or disfigured ears which often signify combat in the scrummaging trenches and close-quarter combat.

Benji Marshall has been officially released from his Super Rugby contract, but says he has "been able to find himself again" through playing rugby

Blues halfback Piri Weepu has admitted the Benji Marshall saga has been a distraction for the team, but that the former league player will be missed.

The self-congratulatory "I told you so's" have been ringing loudly on both sides of the Tasman as Benji Marshall pulls the pin on his rugby experiment.

In reaching a mutual agreement with Benji Marshall to let him leave the Blues a few months into his two-year contract, New Zealand's rugby bosses made their best decision.

Blues investor Murray Bolton has no hard feelings towards Benji Marshall and his looming exit.