Chiefs forwards coach Tom Coventry knows opposition sides will target his team's lineout - it's exactly what he would do.

The Blues are about to face an Australian side for the first time this season and the Brumbies' resurgent scrum, which has reaped two penalty tries in as many weeks, could pose a new set of problems.

These last few weeks have seen an increasing number of players indulge in unnecessary, cheap stuff that is designed to infuriate opponents, writes Gregor Paul.

With no sign of any public announcement about the future of Super rugby, Australia has revealed they pushed for a two conference model linked to Asia.

Paul Gallen hopes Andrew Fifita will stay with Cronulla but the Sharks skipper says he isn't going to pressure the representative star to do so.

Former Blues coaches Joe Schmidt and David Nucifora are about to pool their rugby knowledge once more but this time their roles will be reversed.

The Blues' progress of the past fortnight is in danger of being derailed by injuries as they prepare to face the Brumbies in Canberra high on confidence but low on personnel.

The defending Super Rugby champion Chiefs are defying injuries, set-piece woes, savvy opponents and statistics to remain in pole position in the New Zealand conference.

As the Hurricanes struggled through an indifferent start to their Super Rugby campaign one thing never wavered.

The Blues might as well cut their losses on the Benji Marshall experiment before his alleged rugby union education causes a calamity, writes Chris Rattue.

Luke Romano's calf injury has forced him to miss the Crusaders' trip to South Africa.

Sharks coach Jake White couldn't resist taking pot shots at Waratahs counterpart Michael Cheika after his Super Rugby leaders niggled their way to a spiteful 32-10 victory.

It is the collective effort of the Blues in keeping the Highlanders try-less in their 30-12 victory at Eden Park which suggests John Kirwan's team are beginning to gain traction.

There's no place like home for the Queensland Reds, who highlighted their love of Suncorp Stadium with a pressure-relieving 22-17 victory over the Stormers.

Israel Folau admits he's still only a 50-50 prospect of returning for the Waratahs next weekend despite flying out for South Africa on Saturday.

Blues' supporters questioning the wisdom of getting Ma'a Nonu back this season should have had their minds put at ease by the performance of the All Blacks midfielder at Eden Park last night.

This match probably confirmed that the Stormers won't be Super Rugby champions this year and won't make the play-offs, based on this form.

It wouldn't be a surprise if there are some high profile Super Rugby transfers at the end of this year - big-name All Blacks deciding they need to switch franchise having lost faith in their coaching regimes.

The immediate threat to New Zealand of Australia announcing plans to launch a nine-team provincial championship in August this year won’t be obvious.

The Blues looked a lot less like the Blues tonight and yet they also looked a lot more like potential playoff contenders.

Watch a replay of our live blog fom the Super Rugby clash between the Blues and the Highlanders from Eden Park in Auckland.

The Chiefs pride themselves on their depth and that will be tested after making eight changes to the side to face the Bulls tomorrow morning in Pretoria.

Jerome Kaino is back in the No 6 jersey, but Blues' forwards coach Mick Byrne has warned against expecting too much too soon.

A thriller of a match between two struggling teams was settled by a stunning try from Hurricanes wing Alapati Leiua.

Watch a replay of tonight's live blog of the Super Rugby clash between the Crusaders and the Hurricanes from AMI Stadium in Christchurch.