The countdown to the second season of Super Rugby Pacific has entered its final week.
Read on as we preview the Fijian Drua, Western Force, Highlanders and Hurricanes.
FIJIAN DRUA
Coach: Mick Byrne
Captain: Ratu Meli Derenalagi
Last year: It was always going to be a difficult assignment for the Drua in their first year of Super Rugby. Cohesion is always a challenge for new teams, but the Drua also had to up camp from Fiji and settle at Lennox Head on the NSW north coast because of COVID, which further interrupted what was already a short preseason. But the Fijians performed admirably, finishing with two wins for the year and going within striking distance of several others. The high point of their season, however, came upon their return to Fiji for games against the Highlanders and Chiefs, in which they suffered three- and one-point defeats respectively. The packed houses in Suva and Lautoka made for an atmosphere usually reserved for tournament deciders in recent years, while the Drua's surging comeback against the Chiefs was really something to behold. Led superbly by Derenalagi, the Drua played in true Fijian fashion with Vinaya Habosi and Kalaveti Ravouvou scorching their opposites with a brutal mix of speed and power. The Drua did however do it tough on the road in New Zealand, where they were hammered by both the Hurricanes and Blues.
This year: More will be expected of the Drua in 2023, with the team having returned to Fiji for their preseason and with six home games set across Lautoka or Suva. While the comeback against the Chiefs showed how tough they will be to beat at home, the Drua's preseason win over the Rebels was an indicator of just how difficult visiting teams will find the local conditions this season. Habosi, however, won't be on display, the Drua making a strong statement in sacking the winger for an off-field incident in January. The task for coach Mick Byrne will be finding the right amount of structure -- and building a competent set-piece -- that does not detract from the natural Fijian style that promotes ball-in-hand play, counter attack, and 50/50 offloads. Much of last year's inaugural squad remains, while Byrne has added a couple of sevens Olympic gold medallists and two further players who had previously been based in Australia. If the Drua are to reach the finals in their second season, then winning at least four of their games in Fiji appears necessary, while their opening match against Moana Pasifika in Auckland will also be one they will have targeted.
Draw: Moana Pasifika [A], Waratahs [Melbourne], Crusaders [H], Reds [A], Highlanders [A], Rebels [H], Bye, Brumbies [A], Chiefs [A], Blues [H], Hurricanes [H], Force [A], Waratahs [A], Moana Pasifika [H], Reds [H].
WESTERN FORCE
Coach: Simon Cron
Captain: Michael Wells
Last year: The Force have held a reputation as a gritty side but one that also struggles to get over the line in tight contests. And 2022 was reflective of exactly that as they lost six matches by seven points or less, which was the difference in the West Australians missing out on a finals berth. They did however save their best for last when they defeated the Hurricanes in Perth after a trio of difficult assignments across the ditch. The Force were well served by winger Manasa Mataele while backline recruits Issak Fines-Leilawasa, Bayley Kuenzle and Reejsan Pasitoa also had their moments; the locally-raised Jackson Pugh, Jake Strachan and Ollie Callan, meanwhile, show that the Force's pathways are starting to bear fruit. But perhaps the biggest moment of their season was the unveiling of highly-touted former Waratahs assistant Simon Cron as their new coach, a move which angered some when it occurred mid-year and because of the gratitude many had towards then-coach Tim Sampson. Cron's arrival was touted as a major coup for the Perth-based franchise with club owner Andrew Forrest making no apologies for his ambition to create the best rugby club in the world.
This year: Cron is squarely in the spotlight this season, the Kiwi now back in Australian rugby after a short detour via Japanese club rugby and the chance to work with Steve Hansen. Cron has brought with him some established playing quality, headlined by Wallabies hooker Folau Fainga'a and Chiefs flyer Chase Tiatia, while the recruitment of Michael Wells, Hamish Stewart and Bryce Hegarty further strengthens the squad. The club has also retained Pumas prop Santiago Medrano, but they have waved goodbye to Fergus Lee-Warner, who was one of their key contributors in 2022. The key for the Force this year will be to turn some of those narrow defeats into wins, and to also play with a little more creativity in attack. There is no question there is more depth to the squad, while Cron last week said the need for a change in "mindset" had been one of the club's key preseason focuses. They will again be hard to beat at home, but a four-game stretch on the road from Rounds 4-7, which sees them face the Highlanders, Blues, Hurricanes and Waratahs, could make or break their season. Two defeats in the preseason - to the Reds and Force - suggest there is still plenty of work for Cron to do.
Draw: Rebels [H], Reds [Melbourne], Moana Pasifika [H], Highlanders [A], Blues [A], Hurricanes [A], Waratahs [A], Highlanders [H], Reds [A], Crusaders [A], Drua [H], Brumbies [H], Rebels [A], Chiefs [H].
HIGHLANDERS
Coach: Clarke Dermody
Captain: Billy Harmon
Last year: The Highlanders were the only Kiwi team to struggle in 2022, and only narrowly scraped into the playoffs on for-and-against after a final-round loss to the Rebels in Melbourne. The fact that each of the Highlanders, Rebels and Force were fighting for the final spot in the eight, despite winning just four of their 14 games, had many questioning the integrity of an eight-team final format. The Highlanders' season lasted just one more week, as expected, as they were promptly dispatched by the Blues. It's true the Highlanders were up against it from the outset, however, as they were forced to endure local derbies in New Zealand for the first seven rounds, rather than potentially find a win or two against the perceived weaker Australian contingent. And injury certainly wasn't kind to the Highlanders as they saw Jona Nareki, Marino Mikaele Tu'u, Jermaine Ainsley, Fetuli Paea, Freedom Vaahakalo, Folau Fakatava, Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Connor Garden-Bachop all ruled out for the season as the tournament progressed. In the end, 2022 proved the end of favourite son Tony Brown's tenure in Dunedin as he jetted off to join Jamie Joseph's Japan coaching team.
This year: Clarke Dermody assumes the reins at the Highlanders after stepping up from his role as an assistant, returning to the position he filled during the team's run to the Trans-Tasman series final in 2021. One of Dermody's first orders of business was to make tireless openside Billy Harmon his captain, the flanker bringing his success with Canterbury's Mitre 10 Cup win to the fold. The Highlanders won't be hit as hard with All Blacks rest weeks as their fellow Kiwis, but will be without the likes of Aaron Smith - who will also miss the first two weeks of the competition - Shannon Frizell and Ethan de Groot at various times of the season. Certainly Dermody will be hoping Mikaele-Tu'u can stay on the paddock a little longer, with the back-rower already creating All Blacks buzz. Smith's deputy, Folau Fakatava, will meanwhile be playing without an ACL after he opted against a third surgery. Fakatava has a real x-factor about him, but just how he is able to maintain that same agility while carrying such an injury remains to be seen. While they again start the season with three local derbies, the Highlanders should be able to avoid a repeat of last year's 0-7 start, but Dermody knows he is working with less depth than his fellow Kiwi coaches and another scrap for the final couple of spots in the eight likely looms. Freddie Burns' recent recruitment from England looks a shrewd move.
HURRICANES
Coach: Jason Holland
Captain: Ardie Savea
Last year: The Hurricanes endured an up-and-down 2022 season, which culminated in a quarterfinal loss to the Brumbies in Canberra. Every time they looked like they might be starting to build some momentum, the Hurricanes would slip to a defeat, including away to the Force in the final round of the season. Earlier in the year, the Wellington-based franchise became the first team to lose to Moana Pasifika when they were sunk in golden point extra time. Still, there was a lot to like about the Hurricanes' season as they mixed style with substance, brought through a raft of new talents and were again led superbly by the tireless Ardie Savea. Aidan Morgan and Reuben Love got better with every game each man played in the No. 10 jersey, while Jordie Barrett's switch to the midfield proved a revelation, one the All Blacks also embraced later in the year. Alongside Savea, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Brayden Iose and Blake Gibson ensured the Hurricanes had one of the premier back-row units in the competition, which was vital in their gutsy away win over the Waratahs in particular.
This year: The Hurricanes looked set for another finals appearance in 2023, but the big question is whether they can finish that little bit higher inside the top-four. There has been a bit of upheaval amongst their squad, the biggest departures being Gibson and fleet-footed winger Wes Goosen. Back-up fly-half Jackson Garden-Bachop has also moved on, but his exit is offset by the arrival of one-Test All Black Brett Cameron, who will be hoping to reignite his Super Rugby career in Wellington. Unfortunately, veteran No. 9 TJ Perenara will be missing for a large chunk of the season after he tore his Achilles tendon in the All Blacks' 2022 finale against England, and the Hurricanes will also be without both Morgan and Cameron for the team's two-game tour of Australia to start the season. While that looms as a challenging start, the Canes can rest easy in the knowledge that their only other venture outside of New Zealand is to Fiji midway through the competition. Holland will have to manage his smaller contingent of All Blacks smartly, but that will also create opportunities for players like 19-year-old No. 8 Peter Lakai who is already being tipped for big things after a bumper Mitre 10 Cup campaign. Look for Jordie Barrett to really excel at No. 12 this season, particularly now he has the support of All Blacks coach Ian Foster. Barrett and Savea will again spearhead this team, but it feels like the top four might just be beyond them once more - particularly with a daunting closing three rounds to the regular season.
Draw: Reds [A], Rebels [A], Blues [H], Waratahs [A], Moana Pasifika [A], Force [H], Highlanders [A], Chiefs [H], Brumbies [H], Fijian Drua [A], Moana Pasifika [H], Chiefs [A], Blues [A], Crusaders [A]