Super Rugby Aotearoa

Jackson Garden-Bachop aggravated an achilles injury against the Crusaders in round two and is in doubt for Saturday's game against the Chiefs.

Backup first-five Simon Hickey is already out for the season due to a knee injury.

Despite their lack of depth in the position, Hurricane's defensive coach Corey Jane says they won't move be giving Barrett the number ten jersey.

"It wouldn't be fair on him if we actually put him into first-five, last year he was the best fullback running around and he's done some good stuff for us already this year," he said.

Otere Black marshalled the Blues attack well, scoring their first try after 10 minutes from a Rieko Ioane offload. He set up their second soon after, finding Ioane in space for a powerful run which was finished off with a try by Caleb Clarke.

Black converted both tries and added a penalty to give the Blues a 17-3 lead at halftime.

Fijian winger Emoni Narawa extended the margin with a try three minutes into the second half, as the Blues pack continued to establish their dominance, particularly at the set piece.

After an uncharacteristically slow start, the Crusaders hit their straps in the second half after leading 11-10 at the break.

Last year's champions scored four second-half tries, dominating possession and restricting the Chiefs to a consolation 72nd minute try to winger Etene Nanai-Seturo.

The Chiefs had started well, Damian McKenzie's try coming after just three minutes on the back of a strong run after the Chiefs moved the ball wide with purpose and precision.

That’s huge praise from the All Blacks skipper, who has spilled blood for the Chiefs for 10 years, and has gained a reputation for his high level of commitment and dedication to the game on and off the field.

Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan also had no hesitation in naming the uncontracted 21-year-old for his Super Rugby debut, despite still being a replacement player, ahead of more experienced loose forwards such as Mitchell Brown and Mitchell Karpik.

The Crusaders’ pivot caught the eyes of punters and pundits for it playing against the Hurricanes on Sunday, and was again strapped up for the team’s training session in Christchurch on Tuesday.

However, assistant coach Scott Hansen, who works closely with Mo’unga and the team’s other inside backs, said there was no need be alerted.

“I think it’s just Rich going through what he needs to do for training and a game. It hasn’t influenced his performances, he is happy enough,” Hansen said.

NZ Rugby has been working alongside Moana Pasifika and Fiji for months to have them included in 2022, and despite a history of false dawns and disappointment it appears that final sign-off could happen in the next few months.

“I've never been more confident,” Aayden Clarke, the CEO of players’ body Pacific Rugby Players (PRP), told Stuff on Tuesday, “simply because of the appetite of New Zealand Rugby and them being genuine about wanting to make this happen, sharing resources, and their approach.

The match had been moved from Saturday in the hope coronavirus restrictions would be lifted to allow a crowd for the reigning champions' first home match of the season.

Fans saw a game that pivoted on Ardie Savea's first half yellow card, with the Crusaders scoring three converted tries to take a commanding lead while the forward was off the field.

Scott Robertson's team notched up the win after opening their campaign with victory over the Highlanders in last week's first round.

The Crusaders are again favourites to win a Super Rugby title.

The second edition of Super Rugby Aotearoa kicks off this weekend with the Highlanders hosting the Crusaders and the Hurricanes hosting the Blues, the Chiefs have the bye.

Scott Robertson's team won six of their eight games in 2020 to win the inaugural local competition to add to the three straight Super Rugby titles they won from 2017 to 2019.

Heading into his fifth season with the franchise, Robertson is confident complcency won't be an issue and says his desire for success hasn't waned.

The move didn’t go to plan, however, with Laulala suffering a horrific knee injury that kept him off the park for the entire season.

Heading into his first season with the Blues, Laulala will be hopeful that no such fate befalls him ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Hurricanes in Wellington.

“Unfortunately, I’ve had quite a few season-ending injuries, and I wasn’t able to pick up the games I probably should have,” Laulala said in the build-up to the opening weekend of Super Rugby Aotearoa.

The game of three halves will kick off from midday at Hautapu Sports in Cambridge.

Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson has confirmed the side’s All Blacks will return for 40 minutes of game time on Saturday, ahead of their opening match of the Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa competition next weekend against the Highlanders in Dunedin.

The Crusaders will play the Chiefs in the first half, and regular Captain Scott Barrett returns to lead the side, while Codie Taylor will Captain the second-half side against the Blues.