Ladies and Gentlemen 2 down 1 to go. With the South African and Australian conferences done it is time to look at the conference that has dominated Super Rugby in the past couple of years with 4 of the 5 teams qualifying for the knockout phases on both occasions and winning the tournament 5 times in the last 6 years.
Apart from their Super Rugby franchises utter dominance the All Blacks have also been dominating the Rugby world winning the last two World Cup tournaments. In recent times the only side to give the Kiwi sides something to think about has been the Lions. This trend we have seen in recent years doesn’t look like it will be losing any steam this year and I think we can expect another great year for most of the Kiwi franchises. The real tough question however is which franchise to back.
New Zealand Conference:
Chiefs, Blues, Crusaders, Highlanders, Hurricanes.
Blues. 
The team from Auckland have been dealt an unfortunate hand in the past two seasons and where it not for the strange structure of the Super Rugby tournament they might have sneaked into the playoffs last season. However probably the weakest of the 5 New Zealand franchises, they are still a high-quality outfit that will challenge if not beat most opposing sides. The Blues will be hoping that they can step off the bottom of the New Zealand conference and qualify for the knockout phase for the first time since 2011 when they got to the semi-finals.
Squad:
Losing the likes of Charlie Faumuina, Steven Luatua, Billy Guyton, Rene Ranger, Piers Francis and Ihia West, coach Tana Umaga will have his hands full trying to get the most out of his squad. The flyhalf position will be a vulnerable position for the Blues with new signing Otere Black being sidelined for most of the campaign 20-year-old Stephen Perofeta will be carrying a lot of responsibility and hopefully the experienced heads around him ensure that the talented youngster can ease into the role.
With the likes of Sonny Bill Williams, Augustine Pulu and George Moala lining up in the backline, the Blues boast some of the competitions most dangerous ball carriers and one of the best no.9’s. The backs to watch in my opinion are Junior All Black superstar Caleb Clarke (18) and All Black superstar Rieko Ioane (20). In these two the Blues have young explosive ball carriers with loads of pace and an eye for the try-line backed by the ability to get there.
Upfront new signing Leni Apisai has joined the Aukland outfit to try and escape the shadow of Dane Coles, providing some competition for Blues stalwart James Parsons. With hard workers Blake Gibson, Jerome Kaino and Jimmy Tuipulotu the Blues forwards will never give you a moment to catch your breath. My forward to watch however is Akira Ioane. The number 8 is a powerful ball carrier, solid defender and boasts enough pace to have represented the All Black 7’s team.
Conclusion:
The Blues haven’t added much to their squad and have lost a few key faces. The Aukland team still have a very strong squad with a lot of young talent. If the flyhalf position can perform the Blues might stand a chance. I do however feel they still have the weakest squad and will therefore finish 5th in the New Zealand conference and 10th on the Overall log, missing out on a play-off spot once again.
Highlanders. 
Another Team that has changed their coach with Aaron Mauger taking over from Tony Brown.The Highlanders will be hoping that they can repeat their heroics from 2015 to win the tournament. Having dropped out at the Quarter final stages last year would have been extremely disappointing and Mauger will be looking to the Dunedin based team.
Squad:
Finding someone to replace the influential Malakai Fekitoa is going to be a massive challenge and Highlanders fans will be hoping to see Matt Fades return to the form he showed two seasons ago. The Highlanders have also lost big winger Patrick Osbourne and backup flyhalf Marty Banks.
Looking at their backline they have world class players in Ben and Aaron Smith, Waisake Naholo and Lima Sopoaga, but my player to watch is another player from the never-ending line of wingers that New Zeeland seem to continuously produce Tevita Li. Now in his second season with the Highlanders the winger will be hoping to kick on from his solid start and his line breaking ability, pace and power make him a very exciting prospect for New Zealand rugby.
Looking at the forwards the Highlanders have never had the most familiar pack to rugby fans, compared to other New Zealand franchises, but they have always had a very hardworking pack of forwards. In Elliot Dixon and Liam Squire this is exactly what you will get hardworking abrasive defenders that leave it all on the pitch.
Conclusion:
A hardworking team with a solid defensive base the Highlanders will be a tough nut to crack for opposition teams. Squad wise I think they will finish 4th in the New Zealand conference and 6th Overall.
Chiefs. 
The Chiefs have had a tough off season, having a change in the head coach with Dave Rennie heading to Europe and Colin Cooper taking the reins and losing some big-name players. After losing to eventual winners the Crusaders in the Semi-Finals, the Waikato outfit will be hoping to go two steps further this year to win the whole damn thing.
Squad:
Losing the likes of Aaron Cruden, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Stephen Donald, Tom Sanders and James Lowe the Chiefs will have their hands full replacing 3 All Blacks and a former Junior All Black representative in Tom Sanders. The Flyhalf position will be a very important position with Marty Mckenzie signing from the Crusaders have shown his potential but replacing Cruden will require more than just potential.
The player in the backline to watch is without doubt Damian McKenzie. The Fullback has spent the past two seasons terrorizing opposition defenses and has been every fantasy rugby teams star man. McKenzie might even play a couple of games at flyhalf if Marty Mckenzie struggles to adapt. The Chiefs backline with centre pairing Anton Lienert Brown and Charlie Ngatai, along with promising wide men Toni Pulu and Sam McNicol looks like a very exciting prospect.
The Chiefs forward pack sees the like of Dominic Bird, Brodie Retalic and Sam Cane provide some experience and power, however my two picks for forwards to watch are Taleni Sea, the 24-year old loose forward has already shown glimpses of his immense talent and I think this will be a big season for him. Next Nathan Harris, the All Black Hooker is an extraordinary talent and really seems to get around for a Hooker although in New Zealand this is not unexpected.
Conclusion:
The Chiefs once again have a very talented squad with a great mix of experience and promising youth. I do however feel that they have lost a lot of experience and this will slightly hurt their chances. I think the Chiefs will finish 3th in the New Zealand Conference and 5th on the Overall log.
Crusaders. 
The most successful franchise in the history of Super Rugby and last year’s winners will be hoping for similar performances this year. With 10 All Blacks in their forward pack alone there is no reason why we cannot expect similar things from the Christchurch outfit in 2018. Holding on to most of their core squad members the Crusaders will just be looking to continue from where they left off last season and dominating anyone that comes across their path.
Squad:
Only losing versatile back Marty McKenzie and experienced Winger Digby Ioane who both didn’t really feature every week last year doesn’t seem like to big a loss. Especially when they replaced McKenzie with experienced flyhalf Mike Delaney and added some new talent in Tom Sanders to their already impressive loose forward ranks.
With a backline boasting the likes of Richie Mo’unga, Israel Dagg and Ryan Crotty opposition teams will have to be at their best to plug all the holes that these players will create in their defences. The Backs to watch however are Seta Tamanivalu and David Havilli, both are extremely powerful runners with ball in hand and have already showed what they are capable of. Both players provide options in more than one position and just adds some versatility to the squad depth of the Crusaders.
With ten All Blacks upfront the Crusaders forwards are undoubtedly a critical factor in how they play. The likes of Kieran Reid, Sam Whitelock, Owen Franks etc are all experienced campaigners that just do not know how to lose. My forwards to watch are however the work horses of the forward pack and goes to loose-forward duo Jordan Taufua and Matt Todd. The flankers tirelessly run around the park making their presence felt at ruck time in on defense and when running with the ball.
Conclusion:
With a Squad that would challenge on the international front it is hard to see how the Crusaders will not once again be challenging for the top spot this year. I do however feel that they might fall short this year and finish 2nd in the New Zealand conference and 4th on the Overall log. I would however not be surprised to see them in the picture come semi-finals and finals time.
Hurricanes 
A star-studded team who scored 97 tries in last year’s tournament to top the rankings. With attacking threats in every position, the Hurricanes are set to challenge for the Title for a third consecutive season. A squad with world class players in almost every position it is hard to see how this team will be stopped. Stacked with All Blacks and young talent that gives squad depth the Hurricanes are a frightening team on paper at least.
Squad:
Losing Callum Gibbins and Cory Jane will be a bitter pill to swallow but with Nehe Milner-Skudder returning Cory Jane might not even be missed. The Hurricanes also added some young talent with the likes of Alex Fidow and Asafo Aumua coming in to add depth and will probably be fringe players this season.
In the backline the ones to watch… Probably everyone, with the World’s best Rugby player Beadeun Barrett at 10, Julian Savea, Milner-Skudder, Ngani Luamape, Jordie Barrett and TJ Perrenara this Hurricanes backline is probably the best in the comp. The backline has pace, power and the ability to breakdown any defensive system.
Up front they have the likes of Dane Coles, Ricky Riccitelli and Sam Lousi, but the man to watc is without a doubt one of the most impressive loose-forwards in world rugby, Ardie Savea. Savea is a powerful runner, strong at the breakdown, solid defender and boasts bags of pace.
Conclusion:
Probably in my opinion the strongest squad in the tournament also one of the best to watch. The Hurricanes are my pick to win the New Zealand conference and one of my favorites to win the whole competition 1st or 2nd Overall.
What do you think? How will the New Zealand conference pan out? Who will win Super Rugby? Are you as excited for this season as I am?
Sources:
https://sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/teams/
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