The Team of the Week contains players from nine different teams including four Crusaders and two from each of the Sharks, Stormers and Blues. Player of the Week is Cobus Wiese whose work rate against the Crusaders was immense.
All Blacks and Crusaders prop Wyatt Crockett has announced his retirement from international rugby with this year also to be his last season of Super Rugby with the Crusaders.
In week two there is one mouth-watering tie which catches the eye. With 10 Super Rugby titles between them, the Crusaders and Chiefs are familiar foes and look set to kick off their campaigns with a domestic derby classic.
Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship will this season adopt the Law Amendments that were announced by World Rugby in July 2017 prior to the start of the 2017/2018 northern hemisphere season. The amendments relate to the scrum (Law 20), tackle (Law 15) and ruck (Law 16).
SANZAAR has announced the referee team that will officiate the 2018 Super Rugby season. With the Super Rugby tournament format reducing to 120 regular season matches this season the referee team has been reduced from 19 to 17 referees.
The 2018 15-team Super Rugby tournament kicks-off in four weeks time on Saturday 17 February in South Africa when the Stormers host the Jaguares in Cape Town.
The Super Rugby Team of the Week is an interesting mix from the semi-finals with the Crusaders leading the way with six players. Dynamic Lions' flanker Kwagga Smith is Player of the Week.
The TOTW has players from nine different teams after a round that saw three away wins, several yellow cards, a red card and bonus points that continue to prove crucial.
The opening Super Rugby match in New Zealand between the Chiefs and Highlanders kicked off at the Wakatipu Rugby Club in Queenstown, in the shadow of the rugged, snow-capped Remarkables mountain range.