Super Rugby champions Auckland Blues, strengthened by the return of Beauden Barrett, have high hopes of back-to-back titles as the club competition returns this week, but are wary of Australian sides bolstered by the collapse of the Melbourne Rebels.
All Blacks playmaker Barrett is back at the Vern Cotter-coached Blues after a stint playing for Toyota Verblitz, with the champions opening the southern hemisphere season on Saturday against last year's runners-up Waikato Chiefs.
Barrett said he had been impressed with the Blues' transformation.
"Vern's edge, his difference, his style of the way that you saw the Blues played last year, is different to what New Zealand's experienced in recent times," he said.
Barrett highlighted growth in the leadership of experienced players such as Patrick Tuipulotu, Dalton Papali'i and Rieko Ioane, while noting that everyone was ready to contribute where required.
"It's been a fairly blunt strategy that's worked, and we'll look to adapt a little bit," he said.
A ruthless Blues crushed the Chiefs 41-10 in last year's final as the reign of the Canterbury Crusaders, who won the previous seven Super Rugby championships, was ended.
"We know they'll (the Chiefs) be out for revenge but we're here to defend our home turf and start our season on the right foot," said Cotter of the rematch at Eden Park.
"We've seen our boys come back with real intent around their pre-season training and you can feel the desire to go the whole way once again in 2025."
The Crusaders endured a torrid 2024, their fall from grace completed when they failed to reach the knock-out phase.
The Crusaders host the Wellington Hurricanes in Christchurch on Friday, with new captain David Havili admitting it would be a challenge to pick them up from the disappointment of last season.
- Brumbies threat -
"From those seven titles, you learn a lot about winning. There have been some downs and some lows on the way through those titles as well. I've seen both sides," he said.
"All I want to do is make my players, and my team, trust that I'll be there in the big moments for them."
With the debt-ridden Rebels no longer in existence, the competition has been reduced to 11 teams -- five from New Zealand, four from Australia plus Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika, who include players from the Pacific islands.
Barrett said he expected a bigger challenge from the Australian sides this year.
"The likes of the Waratahs, or all the Australian teams, have benefited from Rebels players going to other teams," he said.
"Naturally, you'll see those teams get stronger."
The ACT Brumbies again shape as the main threat to New Zealand's dominance, aiming to better the semi-finals they made in the past two seasons.
"We've got to understand that we're making the semi-finals so we're not doing too much wrong," said Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa, who will skipper the Brumbies for a sixth season.
"For us, it has been important to highlight the good stuff we're doing over the last few years but also understand the shifts we need to make."
They face Drua away to start, while the NSW Waratahs meet Otago Highlanders and Western Force host Moana.
The season comprises 16 rounds with the top six qualifying for the finals.
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