Coach Leon MacDonald
Squad news There hasn’t been a huge amount of turnover from last year’s run to a Grand Final loss. Josh Goodhue and Karl Tu’inukuafe are gone. But the return to the fold of respected second-row Patrick Tuipulotu, after time with Toyota, is a real boon for the Blues.
Key player Beauden Barrett is one of rugby’s premier runners and a vital mind.
Prediction Runners-up
Coach Stephen Larkham
They are well-drilled up front