First Daniel Carter, now Richie McCaw - the Crusaders are going to have to claw their way back into Super Rugby without either of their star players featuring much before June.

Barely half an hour into Super Rugby 2014 and the Chiefs managed to establish themselves as potential champions with a single play.

The Crusaders haven't had the start they wanted but I wouldn't be too worried about their longer term prospects. Not yet, anyway, writes Richard Loe.

It's early in the piece to be definitive, but the Chiefs gave a strong hint tonight that they can collect a third consecutive championship.

In any match the Hurricanes offer a chance of victory through counter-attack from scraps of possession, writes Wynne Gray.

The Hurricanes will have to travel home from their two-match tour to South Africa without a win after the Stormers stole a 19-18 victory this morning.

This rollercoaster of a victory over the old enemy has eased the pressure on the Blues - and will also cause a fair bit of soul-searching in Christchurch.

Join us here for live coverage of the Super Rugby match-up between the Blues and the Crusaders from Eden Park in Auckland.

There are two things you can be sure of in life: a lame album from Cliff Richard at Christmas, and a lame start to the Super Rugby season from the Crusaders.

No team ever lost the Super Rugby title in the first week. But one could be about to lose it in the second.

Justin Marshall explains what the Crusaders are trying to achieve with their vertical stacking formation on attack and why it's not working.

Being dropped from a team due to lack of form is like a slap in the face, so one can only imagine what it must feel like for an All Black to be demoted at his Super Rugby franchise.

The revolving doors on the Chiefs' medical room continue to turn and one of the defending champions' coaches thinks something's got to give.

Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett has sung the praises of workhorse prop Ben Franks, who will make his 100th Super Rugby appearance against the Stormers in Cape Town tomorrow.

Amid the chat about who would feel the selection blade for the Crusaders, Israel Dagg's demotion was not on the radar after the opening round, writes Wynne Gray.

Sir John Kirwan has put his faith in 20-year-old first-five Simon Hickey, a player yet to make his Super Rugby debut.

Amid the gloom of a disappointing start to the season by the Blues in Dunedin, there were glimpses of positivity.

Every sports competition needs a stack of components to make it more intriguing and they gallantly delivered when Super Rugby kicked off, writes Wynne Gray.

Sky Network TV's share price has rallied sharply after the company produced a 22pc lift in its first-half net profit, appearing to shrug off any threat from Telecom.

Two on the Blues' skimpy best list will miss the Crusaders' match and probably the side's trip to Africa.