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.

It is easy to write off the Crusaders' loss to the Chiefs on Friday as a bad night in front of the posts, writes Justin Marshall. But for me the Crusaders' concerns should run deeper than that.

The Hurricanes were unable to break through a resolute Sharks outfit as they went down 27-9 in their Super Rugby season-opener in Durban this morning.

The injuries continue to mount and the possession stats are still deficient, but the Chiefs keep on winning.

The Chiefs had injury dramas before they played the Crusaders, now they have even more but frankly, I doubt whether it will slow them down much, writes Richard Loe.

This was a Mulligan for the Blues - a duff drive off the first tee that they can discard and start counting proper as of now.

Join us here for our live blog of the Super Rugby match between the Highlanders and the Blues from Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.

Rugby nomad Hayden Triggs was looking for a new job away from the game when he received the SOS call from Blues coach Sir John Kirwan.

Every year there's at least one player in each Super rugby team who finds another level during pre-season and bursts into contention to make the starting lineup.

The latest information released by Super Rugby's governing body Sanzar about the competition's proposed new format is heavy on possibility but light on detail, writes Patrick McKendry.

The golden season and personal gilt for Brendon McCullum shut the lid on the commotion about captaincy of the New Zealand cricket side.