Super 15 Rugby

It’s the final chance for the Southern Hemisphere rugby elite to stake their claim for Super League glory. Round 20 brings the curtain down on a highly entertaining league stage that still hangs in the balance.

Everyone loves an upset, so here are a collection of bold predictions for the final round of fixtures before the real business starts with the sudden death playoffs.

Force vs. Brumbies

Venue: NIB Stadium, Perth, Australia

Date: July 13

Time: 7:45 a.m. ET

After 15 grueling matches, the ACT Brumbies sit just four points off the Super League summit, and a victory against Western Force could catapult them into an automatic semi-final spot.

Both sides pitted their skills against the British and Irish Lions recently. The Brumbies made history by beating the tourists 14-12 to become the first provincial team to beat them since 1997, whilst Western Force succumbed to a heavy 69-17 defeat.

So how are Western Force going to win this match? The Brumbies haven’t played since their Lions clash and have Aussie players returning who will be suffering from their Lions Test defeat.

According to ABC.net, coach Jake White has picked Colby Fainga'a ahead of George Smith at openside flanker. Smith took a big hit to the head during Australia’s third Test against the Lions but is expected to return for the knockout matches.

If Western Force can capitalise on any sloppy Brumbies play, maybe they can launch a major upset and force their Australian rivals to face the dreaded sudden death playoffs.

Prediction: Force will defy the odds and bring the Brumbies back down to earth. Five-point home win.

Sharks vs. Kings

Venue: Kings Park, Durban, South Africa

Date: July 13

Time: 11:05 a.m. ET

No one wants to finish last. Whilst the Southern Kings are condemned to being South Africa’s bottom side, which means a dreaded playoff for their Super League status, they can still usurp the Otago Highlanders and Western Force with a win if other results go their way.

Momentum is crucial ahead of their promotion/relegation play-off with the Golden Lions, and they will be looking to gain a much needed lift ahead of the two-legged clash.

The Natal Coastal Sharks are likely to be hurting after dramatically losing 20-19 to table-toppers Bulls last time out. Had fullback Riaan Viljoen converted a late penalty, this would have been a nailed on home win. But he missed, and with it went their outside wild-card hopes. Monumental mental strength is needed if they are going to be motivated for this dead rubber.

Unfortunately for the underdog fans among you, The Border Mail has reported the Kings have made 12 changes to rest the squad ahead of their playoff with the Lions.

Having said that, the reshuffle hands the impetus to the new faces to go out and seize a starting berth. It’s the perfect game for replacements to come into, so expect a shock.

Prediction: Kings’ new boys combine and claim a comfortable win by 12.

Stormers vs. Bulls

Venue: Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa

Date: July 13

Time: 1:10 p.m. ET

This all-South African clash has real potential for an upset.

Yes, the Blue Bulls are seeking a 10th straight league win, but they were fortunate to emerge victors from their last clash against the Sharks. A win assures them first place and an automatic semi-final spot, whereas a defeat leaves them nervously waiting on results involving the Brumbies and Waikato Chiefs.

And what better motivation for the Western Stormers than the opportunity to knock their national counterparts out of the all-important top two on the final round of league fixtures? They’ve suffered an indifferent season, being impressive at home but poor on the road. A win would be the perfect way to signal their intent for challenging at the top next season.

Prediction: Stormers edge a thriller by a single point.

Who do you think will come out on top in Round 20? Will there be any major upsets? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

Super 15 Rugby is back with Round 20 of 2013's competition.

This is the final confirmed set of games before six teams enter the playoffs, meaning a last-ditch win could make all of the difference. Can Australian players bounce back from defeat against the British and Irish Lions for a late flurry? Will the pressure-filled schedule prove too much?

Round 20 Draw and Start Times

July 12—Crusaders vs. Hurricanes, AMI Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand. K/O Time: 3.45 a.m ET.

July 12—Rebels vs. Highlanders, AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia. K/O Time: 5.40 a.m ET.

July 13—Blues vs. Chiefs, Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand. K/O Time: 3.45 a.m ET.

July 13—Waratahs vs. Reds, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia. K/O Time: 5.40 a.m ET.

July 13—Force vs. Brumbies, NIB Stadium, Perth, Australia. K/O Time: 7.45 a.m ET.

July 13—Sharks vs. Kings, Kings Park, Durban, South Africa. K/O Time: 11.05 a.m ET.

July 13—Stormers vs. Bulls, Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa. K/O Time: 1.10 p.m ET.

Cheetahs are given a bye for this round.

An interesting round of fixtures could pose a number of questions for the top sides. Bulls, Chiefs, Brumbies and Reds all face away matches against opposition they will be confident of overcoming, meaning we have a number of potential upsets on our hands.

Although comfortable in second place, Chiefs need to improve on last week's 43-15 loss to Crusaders if they are to stay ahead of the chasing pack. A local derby against Blues promises to be a scrappy affair, especially as both teams arrive in poor form. Can Ali Williams and his men overcome recent mishaps in order to topple Chiefs' chance of leading the New Zealand division?

While Bulls face a tough match away at Stormers, the current leaders will be confident of finishing the regular campaign with a win. Last week's match saw them overcome Sharks 20-19 in a tightly fought contest at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium, and they can now play without too much pressure.

Elsewhere, a gaggle of teams can secure progression to the playoffs with one last victory. Reds and Brumbies will be looking to consolidate their positions after taking a rest during Round 19's busy pack of fixtures.

Are you tipping any major upsets this week? Who will cruise beyond their opponents? Let me know in the comments section below, and be sure to discuss it with me on Twitter.

Follow @Nakerman.

Another round of Super 15 Rugby means another round of high-quality rugby played all over the league. With Round 20 representing the final week before the playoffs in Round 21, this will be the last opportunity for teams to snag some points and make a final impression on the season. 

The Central Cheetahs are the only team that won't be active in the round, so nearly every team will be in on the action. Here's a look at the complete schedule for the action along with a more in-depth look at some of the biggest matchups in the round. 

Fixtures to Watch

Auckland Blues vs. Waikato Chiefs

As far as how well these two sides match up, this isn't close. The Chiefs should be considered the odds-on favorite to beat the Blues rather handily. 

But both teams have something to fight for. The Chiefs still have an outside chance to leap the Blue Bulls for the top spot on the table if they are able to beat the Blues and the Bulls are upset in their match against the Western Stormers. 

The Chiefs pulled off a close 23-16 victory when they met the Blues in March, but that doesn't mean this is a guaranteed win. The Chiefs are coming off a stunning 43-16 loss to the lowly Crusaders and will have to find a way to get back on track against a Blues team that is trying to find some positives to take into next year. 

Queensland Reds vs. New South Wales Waratahs

This match won't have much impact on the final table—the Reds already have wrapped up a spot in the playoffs, and the Waratahs have already confirmed that they will just miss making the cut. 

However, few matches are closer on paper. 

As SuperXV.com reports, James Horwill and Will Genia have been ruled out of the clash due to injuries as they try to get healthy before the playoffs. That's not good news for a Reds squad that only won one more game than its opponent. 

A win for the Reds would give them a shot at passing the Canterbury Crusaders for the No. 4 seed in the playoffs, but a loss could potentially see them move to No. 6. That should be all the motivation they need to overcome the injuries and earn their fifth straight win over the Waratahs.

Western Stormers vs. Blue Bulls

This may be the game of the week. The result has direct control over who gets home-field advantage for the playoffs.

The Bulls are in the driver's seat with a two-point lead atop the table. But a loss here would open up the door for both the Chiefs and ACT Brumbies to leapfrog the current leader and force the Bulls to finish third. 

Considering the team has lost its last three matches in South Africa but has a nine-match win streak in its home country, getting the No. 1 seed has to be priority No. 1. 

The Stormers are a solid team. They'll likely finish as the highest-scoring team not to make the playoffs, so they should be looking to leave with the moral victory of beating a top team. This should be a good game that goes down to the wire. 

This promises to be a thrilling week of rugby.

Round 20 is the last chance teams will have before the playoffs begin on July 19. With the difference between the teams at the top being so small, there's plenty of chance for a lot of movement in the final week.

No teams are safe, so even the first-place Bulls will be heavily motivated in order to win and secure the top spot. They're just one of the many teams that deserve the spotlight this week.

Along with the Bulls, here are two other teams you should be highlighting in Round 20.

You can catch the full schedule on the Super 15 official website.

Bulls

There hasn't been a team better than the Bulls, who are sitting atop the table with 63 points at the moment. They have what should be a very tough test against the Stormers, though, who are fighting to overtake the Cheetahs.

If the Bulls win, then they're guaranteed to finish first, so there's a lot of motivation for them going into this fixture.

Time and again the Bulls have gotten the job done. It hasn't always been pretty, but this team almost always seems to come out on the right side. That was never more apparent than in the 20-19 win over the Sharks. The Bulls were missing a few key players on international duty, yet still managed to emerge victorious.

For nine consecutive matches, the Bulls have come out on top. If they can make it 10 against the Stormers, that would be a nice accomplishment. They'll need a much better performance than they had in Round 19 though.

Brumbies

With some strong play and a little bit of luck, the Brumbies could end up topping the table. They're within shouting distance of the Bulls, and with a date against the Force looming, they should be able to put a lot of pressure on the Bulls and second-place Chiefs.

The Brumbies have been a very good team all year. They had some real disappointment in 2012 and have recovered very well in 2013.

Winning this match will be key for the qualifiers, as the Brumbies would likely much rather face the Cheetahs in Round 21 than the Reds.

No team has been better defensively than the Brumbies. When you throw that in with the Round 11 41-7 win over the Force, this should be a rout for them.

Crusaders

As things stand now, the Crusaders are going to be in the playoffs. It's just a matter of whom they'll play in the next round. It's possible that they could finish in the top two, but the chances of that happening seem pretty remote.

If anything, the Crusaders will want to finish in that top three. They've certainly looked like the third-best team all year, as they have the third-highest point total and third-best point differential.

The Crusaders will definitely be riding high after a 43-15 win over the Chiefs in Round 19. It might not be quite as high a margin of victory this week, but the Crusaders should have a rather easy time against the Hurricanes.

Since 1996, in the 24 times these teams have met, the Crusaders have won 15 times, with the Hurricanes getting six wins.

The Crusaders have a lot to play for, so they'll be very motivated. The Hurricanes will put up a fight, but the Crusaders will just be too much to overcome.

Round 20 promises to be rather exciting for Super League 15 fans. With major points up for grabs across seven games, the top six teams will finally secure a place in the play-offs. Before that, there's an awful lot of scores to be decided.

Fixtures and Predictions

July 12—Crusaders vs. Hurricanes, AMI Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand. K/O Time: 3.45 a.m ET.

The Crusaders have been in fine form recently and will be buoyant after last week's 43-15 victory over the Chiefs. Todd Blackadder's side have reached 40 points in their last two matches and have strung together a three-game winning streak since falling 28-19 to the Chiefs back in May. Combined with the Hurricanes' terrible defensive run of late, the home team should be considered favourites for the win.

Despite being near the foot of the table, the Highlanders managed to score six tries against a Hurricanes side that is too forgiving at the back. The likes of Mose Tuiali'i, Hosea Gear and Elliot Dixon compounded the Wellington side to defeat, despite the fact Mark Hammett's team still managed to rack up five tries of their own. Against a ruthless Crusaders side, the scores won't be so close.

Prediction: Crusaders by 14.

July 12—Rebels vs. Highlanders, AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia. K/O Time: 5.40 a.m ET.

As already mentioned, the Highlanders proved resilient last week and emerged with a decent victory over one of the campaign's better-equipped opponents. Jamie Joseph takes his side to Melbourne for a game that will be charged with emotion.

As confirmed by FOX Sports, sacked Rebels boss Damien Hill may have the alcohol-induced bust-up between Kurtley Beale and Cooper Vuna to blame for his dismissal. Beale will certainly miss the match in order to continue his rehabilitation program in Sydney, as reported by the official Rebels website.

As discussed by ABC, Beale is linked with a return to the Waratahs, meaning Rebels fans might have another reason for disappointment after the finale whistle. Lachlan Mitchell is also ruled out of the game after receiving a ban against the British and Irish Lions, while Scott Higginbotham continues to recover from the shoulder injury that has hampered his year.

Neither team has maintained a decent run of form in recent times, but the raw emotion surrounding the Rebels is going to play a huge part in this result. With outgoing staff confirmed alongside key injuries, the Highlanders have the perfect opportunity to end the season on a high. This will be mighty close, but the Rebels will pull it off.

Prediction: Rebels by seven.

July 13—Blues vs. Chiefs, Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand. K/O Time: 3.45 a.m ET.

The Blues have claimed one win from the last six games, giving up hope of qualifying for the play-offs. As reported by ESPN, Steven Luatua is doubtful for the match against a Chiefs side that guaranteed to finish inside the top three.

Dave Rennie's team fought for a 23-16 victory over the Blues at the end of March, but there's very little to suggest the score will be so close this time. The New Zealand Herald has confirmed All Blacks forward Liam Messam will return for the match that must result in at least a bonus point if the visitors are to win the New Zealand conference. That motivation enough will see the gap between these two teams widen.

Prediction: Chiefs by 21.

July 13—Waratahs vs. Reds, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia. K/O Time: 5.40 a.m ET.

A disappointing 24-22 loss to the Rebels really cost the Waratahs a successful season. Although the side from New South Wales also went on to suffer defeat against the Crusaders, it is the May 24 shocker that many will look back on. Even so, the Queensland Reds are in town, so this is by no way a meaningless game against their most hated rivals.

Red have tasted victory just once out of their last three games. James Horwill's team won 25-17 the last time these two met, as a brace of tries from Ben Tapuai settled the tie that day. His late heroics helped overshadow a performance that nearly saw the Reds throw away a 17-3 first-quarter lead. Can the Waratahs give their fans something to shout about? It's going to be mighty close, but not close enough for the home side.

Prediction: Reds by five.

July 13—Force vs. Brumbies, NIB Stadium, Perth, Australia. K/O Time: 7.45 a.m ET.

The Brumbies are just three points off topping the Super 15 ladder and will be rejuvenated by the return of seven Australian international players. If the Chiefs and Bulls lose, the Brumbies could build on their recent win over the British and Irish Lions with a dramatic jaunt for the top spot.

On the other hand, the Force were recently humbled 28-13 to a weakened Waratahs side. These teams last met during Round 11, where the Brumbies won 41-7. The Australian conference winners are at home, have huge motivation to keep playing and are bolstered by the return of many important individuals. Surely a hangover from the series loss to the British and Irish Lions isn't going to see the home side slip up?

Prediction: Brumbies by 28.

July 13—Sharks vs. Kings, Kings Park, Durban, South Africa. K/O Time: 11.05 a.m ET.

As reported by Yahoo! Eurosport, the Kings have made 12 changes ahead of this game. Matt Sexton is more than happy to rest players so that the Kings are fresh when competing in promotion-relegation matches with the Lions.

As such, the Sharks will have the perfect opportunity to overcome last week's disappointing 20-19 loss to the Bulls. Despite leading much of the match, Riaan Viljoen missed an important penalty kick to seal victory. Expect the Sharks to handle their business properly this week, defeating a much-changed and highly unfancied Kings side.

Prediction: Sharks by 33.

July 13—Stormers vs. Bulls, Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa. K/O Time: 1.10 p.m ET.

Perhaps the most interesting tie of the round comes in Cape Town. The Bulls must capture victory in order to guarantee first place, but while the Stormers are just short of missing a play-off position, Allister Coetzee's squad could cause major upset with a diligent display.

The Stormers have not played to the best of their abilities throughout this campaign, but a determined performance could do wonders for the team's future. The Bulls are unbeaten in their last nine games, and since losing to Brumbies at the end of March, have pushed up the table with a seemingly unstoppable run of points.

Can the Bulls triumph? Right now, it's difficult to bet against a side that so often seems to get the job done. The Bulls don't always win by many points, a pattern I expect to continue in Cape Town.

Prediction: Bulls by five.

Which teams do you think will claim victory in Round 20? Who will top the ladder? Let me know in the comments section and be sure to discuss all things sport with me on Twitter:

Follow @Nakerman

You could be forgiven for thinking you had gone back in time. That is the feeling many Highlanders fans got when they heard that Neil Brew was the latest player called into the squad to cover for a multitude of midfield injuries, as was reported by Yahoo Sports.

Brew is an experienced campaigner to say the least. At 34 years old he has been around the block a few times, having played five seasons of Super Rugby between 2001 and 2006. Of these, four were with the Highlanders, where he became a mainstay in the midfield alongside Seilala Mapusua. 

Along with Brew, the southern franchise has also called up veteran hooker Jason Rutledge, a stalwart of the team in recent years who was initially unwanted for the 2013 season.

They are certainly interesting moves, ones that if nothing else show how dire the injury situation at the Highlanders has become.

Tamati Ellison, Shaun Treeby and Ma'a Nonu have all been missing, with just Phil Burleigh and youngster Jason Emery left to fill the gap in the No. 12 and No. 13 jersey's. While Nonu looks set to return this weekend, the situation remains less than ideal.

The Burleigh-Emery combination has looked solid and has covered well for the stars, but there is still some firepower lacking from the back line.

It was this firepower that had seen many dub the Highlanders as preseason favourites to win the whole thing in 2013. Certainly few would have predicted that after three games the southern men would be dead last on the competition table, having dropped each of these games which were all at home.

Although it is not just the midfield where they have been hit hard in the injury department. In Nasi Manu they have lost their best forward, while their two top hookers in Andrew Hore and Brayden Mitchell will be sidelined for the next month.

Whatever you make of it, there is one thing that cannot be denied: the injuries have had a significant impact on the team.

In losing Manu they have lost their main source of go-forward, while Hore is their leader and can at times act as a fourth loose forward. The forward pack has lost much of its substance without these two and has consequently struggled.

But it is the midfield that is the major concern. Not because it is any more important than the men up front, but because of the alarming rate at which men seem to be going down in this area.

It was here that the Highlanders were supposed to be the strongest in 2013. In Ma'a Nonu and Tamati Ellison they were to have the best midfield in the competition, threatening on attack and rock solid on defence.

But it was not to be. And now they are left in a situation where they have had to recall a player that would not look out of place in a Highlanders legends fundraiser game to fill the gap.

In 2004, the International Rugby Board (IRB), recognizing that North America lacked an effective high-performance rugby competition, used its strategic-investment dollars to create a tournament known as the North America Four (NA4). 

The tournament pitted two Canadian teams of identified high-performance players against two similar sides from the United States. The hope was that such a competition might eventually draw the attention of private and commercial investment and lay the groundwork for the first true professional rugby league on the continent.

Success came very slowly at first, and the project never truly took the shape its backers in the IRB imagined.

The United States asked that its IRB investments be targeted elsewhere and Canada went to work building four regionally associated sides, based on the Welsh rugby development model.

Today, after almost a decade of hard work, those Canadian regional teams are the equal of their Argentinian provincial counterparts, while the United States is seeing an explosion in the growth of the Sevens game, as well as accompanying commercial and media attention.

The admission of Rugby Sevens into the Summer Olympics in 2016 has made certain that domestic government funding has begun to flow into athlete development and player participation in both countries is reaching new highs.

These accomplishments are impressive, but admittedly fall far short of readying North Americans to compete at the top levels of international rugby. For that, a domestic professional league of the highest standard is required.

But where to look?

Bleacher Report published a recent interview with Mr. David Jordan, head of the RaboDirect Pro 12 competition in Europe. Mr. Jordan made clear that his organization has no interest in further expansion, in North America or otherwise.

All eyes then turned to SANZAR, the organization which runs The Rugby Championship international tournament, as well as the Super Rugby competition for professional teams. 

The CEO of SANZAR, Mr. Greg Peters, made news himself recently in his own interview with The Australian, in which he claimed SANZAR was open to the possibility of further expansion in Asia or The Americas, providing the right opportunity presented itself.

To try and get a read on the likelihood of that scenario, we sat down with Mr. Peters to discuss the idea of adding to his existing stable of Super Rugby franchises.

The existing Super Rugby agreement ends following 2015, so admittedly, any discussion of expansion must be considered to be in its very early stages; still, Mr. Peters believes his competition is structured to allow for future growth.

The nature of our competition is quite unique. When we first set up Super Rugby, which is what we began calling our competition in 2011, that was the first year we had a conference structure, which is something that is probably quite familiar in North American sports. 

Super Rugby currently has three conferences, one in New Zealand, one in Australia and one in South Africa. This structure would allow us to either introduce new teams to conferences, or introduce entirely new conferences into the competition. 

So the unique nature of our competition really allows us some flexibility to consider what the future might look like.

Mr. Peters went on to explain why he felt that the opportunity had appeared for the idea of expansion and what would be required before any such move could be considered.

What we see is that the introduction of Rugby Sevens into the Olympics has been a great platform for the growth of the game generally. Not for a moment would I suggest that either Canada or the United States would be new rugby markets, because both countries have been playing for years. However, when you're talking about an professional league, competing at the Super Rugby level, the recent growth we have seen does open up certain possibilities.

I need to stress that we are at the very early stages of considering anything of this kind, but in terms of the things we would need to consider going forward, firstly I believe we would need to look at on-field competitiveness. Without that you are looking at issues, as you try to introduce new teams into what has been a very competitive competition. 

Secondly, you would have to see a strong commercial program via broadcasting and the wider commercial functions that would support a team and drive revenues through the wider SANZAR organization.

You must remember that SANZAR is not the IRB. Our imperatives are not to grow the game globally, our imperatives are to grow for the benefit of the existing SANZAR stakeholders.

Mr. Peters' point is well-taken. For while admitting Argentina into The Rugby Championship tournament has seemed to be a positive move for all involved, the Super Rugby competition—being a purely professional league—is even focused on a strong commercial product.

SANZAR's existing relationship with Argentina, which was forged mainly by that country's continuing development on the field, may very well have opened the door for wider SANZAR interest in the Americas, which, on the whole, may be able to provide the commercial success Mr. Peters and his organization may be looking for.

We are indeed working with Argentina, who have expressed interest in joining the Super Rugby competition as well. That isn't without its challenges logistically. Perhaps—I stress perhaps—North America is part of that solution. They could possibly link up with an Argentina side in some sort of new conference or even possibly form a block with South African teams. That is something we would like to explore.

Those comments certainly give heart to those who would like to see Super Rugby teams here in North America; however, there remain many pieces that would have to fall into place. One of the other visions that is out there—one that would perhaps be slightly easier to initiate—would be the idea of a second-tier of Super Rugby, where Canadian, American and Argentinian teams could all compete for the right to win promotion to the existing Super Rugby set-up.

That wasn't something that seemed high on the agenda at the SANZAR offices.

A second-tier competition isn't completely off the radar, the problem is making it pay. It has traditionally been difficult with second-tier competitions to drive the revenue necessary to cover the logistics involved. Having said that, we have found that for Super Rugby teams to be successful, you often need a third-tier competition like the Currie Cup in South Africa or the ITM Cup in New Zealand.

And with that our story comes full circle, back to domestic high-performance competitions that were originally funded by the IRB in Canada and elsewhere. If these competitions end up producing more athletes like Jebb Sinclair—a Canadian international that played on last year's Currie Cup winning side in South Africa—then the vision Mr. Peters has laid out may soon be closer to a reality.

But how to judge when that standard has been reached?

The initial interview Greg Peters gave to The Australian spoke of SANZAR's interest in seeing how Canada and the U.S.A. fared in this summer's Pacific Nations Cup against Tonga, Fiji and Japan. When Mr. Peters was asked about how SANZAR planned to go about making their assessment of that tournament, he made it clear that it was based on quality of play, not quantitative results.

It's a measure of the quality of the rugby. Our coaches are fairly good at measuring that. What is the standard of the individual athletes within the teams? Are there Super Rugby coaches casting their eyes over that competition and finding talent? We are already having Super Rugby coaches looking at Argentinean players because of how they've played in The Rugby Championship. 

The most important thing remains the quality of the commercial program put together to support a potential team. 

Super Rugby is about tribalism, so what we have to do is assess the community interest on the part of rugby fans, and potential rugby fans, in some of these new markets.

One of the things that I found interesting about my conversation with Mr. Peters is how countries like Canada fit into the equation. Argentina, all would admit, have one of the most competitive national teams on the planet and the United States has the greatest potential for growth and the largest economy in the world; so what can Canadian fans take away from all of this potential expansion discussion?

It's true that we will need to study and know more about the markets in each of the areas going forward; however, Canada is still a very large market. They are a fine rugby nation and have a strong reputation. If indeed we were to look at something like an Americas conference, you would need to place teams across the Americas in order to have sufficient numbers of franchises. 

And with that, it seems, North American rugby fans have as much of an answer in regard to potential Super Rugby expansion as they are likely to get at the moment.

Fans in Canada, Argentina and the United States can now look forward to the year 2016 and be doubly excited. Not only will that be the year in which the sport of rugby makes its glorious return to the Olympics in Rio, but elsewhere in South America and across the North American continent, that year might just contain the day professional rugby finally makes its debut.

Jeff Hull is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise stated, all cited materials were obtained firsthand. 

To follow the author on Twitter, click on the link below.

Follow @RugbyScribe

In their first game at Eden Park following a season that Blues fans would love to forget, Auckland destroyed their arch-rivals, the Crusaders, 34-15.

This was not just a win. It was a statement.

The Blues crossed the chalk five times while keeping the Crusaders try-less (with a bit of help from TMO Ben Skeen). They dominated the seven-time champs in almost every facet of the game, controlling territory and possession. They showcased a brand of creative rugby that their opponents had no answer for, offloading at will and spreading a carries. You'd think they were playing league out there. Their set pieces still need some fine tuning, but when it's all said and done the scoreboard is what matters the most.

Players who underperformed last year looked like entirely new men. Perhaps the best example of this was captain Ali Williams. Many Blues fans were surprised with his appointment as captain because he played with little passion and effort. But thus far, he has proven himself a capable captain, leading the team with his workrate and physical play, both of which were missing from his game last year.

He wasn't the only one who showed some improvement. George Moala has run like a beast and hasn't been the liability on defense that he was last year. Tom McCartney is running the ball powerfully and has improved his ball security. Young guns Charles Piutau and Steven Luatua built on their promising debuts from last year, looking like they could be key Blues players for years to come, and topping it off is Piri Weepu, who has managed to keep the weight off and is making plays from the back of the ruck.

New acquisitions Frank Halai and Chris Noakes have wasted no time settling into their new uniforms. Halai has built on his outstanding Sevens season with four tries in his first two Super Rugby games. Noakes, despite some ordinary seasons in the ITM Cup with the Highlanders, has run the backline with authority, with his cross kick to Halai being one of the highlights of the night.

Carter and Dagg were the only real threats coming from the Crusaders, who looked out of sync for most of the night. They were superior in the scrums and the line-outs, but couldn't produce anything from them. The loss should make for an interesting rematch in Christchurch later this year.

It's only been two games but it's clear that these Blues mean business. Tonight was the first Blues game in a few years where I actually struggled to find a seat. They've got their fans back, now it's time to keep them.