The defending champion Crusaders will look to build another dynasty in Super Rugby Pacific as the Southern Hemisphere competition celebrates its 30th season with a raft of law changes designed to speed up the game.
Super Rugby has adopted various shapes and forms since the Hurricanes and Blues launched a new tournament in 1996 for provincial teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
But virtually the one constant has been the success of the Crusaders, who will start their bid for a record-extending 14th trophy on Friday in a South Island derby at the Highlanders.
Having been written off after an injury-blighted 2024, Rob Penney's Crusaders returned to their brutally effective ways last season as a rejuvenated forward pack and new generation of players carried them to the title.
With returning All Black Leicester Fainga'anuku adding another weapon in attack, the David Havili-captained Crusaders will be confident of going deep in the postseason.
After a "temporary" stint of more than 14 seasons at Rugby League Park, the Crusaders will finally have a home ground befitting their standing when they host their first match at the new Te Kaha stadium against the New South Wales Waratahs on 24 April to kick off Round 11 of the competition.
Loyal fans of the "red and black" will be glad of the change having huddled through more than their fair share of Christchurch winters on Rugby League Park's more exposed terraces.
CHIEFS PICK UP THE PIECES
The Chiefs may also be glad to see the back of the ground having fallen 16-12 to the Crusaders in the Grand Final there last season, their second loss to the South Islanders in a hat-trick of defeats in title-deciders.
It ruined Clayton McMillan's final game in charge of the Chiefs while leaving his former deputy Jono Gibbes to pick up the pieces as the new head coach.
The Chiefs remain laden with talent, with Tonga international Kyren Taumoefolau an exciting addition to the outside backs after crossing from Moana Pasifika.
In a competition long dominated by New Zealand, Australia's teams enjoyed a mini-revival last season as the Brumbies and Reds finished in the top six to qualify for the playoffs.
The Brumbies bowed out of the semifinals after squandering a strong position to lock up a top-two berth and enjoy home advantage.
Coach Stephen Larkham's side will likely be Australia's standard-bearers again, while there are question marks over the Reds with their coach Les Kiss having to balance club and country responsibilities.
Kiss is set to succeed Joe Schmidt as Australia coach mid-year, though Schmidt is expected to remain involved in some capacity as the Wallabies prepare to host the 2027 World Cup.
The Reds open their season away to the Waratahs on Friday.
While Super Rugby Pacific remains popular in rugby-mad New Zealand, the competition has struggled to make inroads in Australia where Australian Rules football and rugby league dominate the winter market.
Organisers have worked hard to win over new fans by speeding up the game and reducing stoppage time, even if some of the innovations are derided by purists in the Northern Hemisphere.
A number of law tweaks have been introduced for this season to keep up the pace of the game, with more flexibility around players taking quick taps and teams permitted to pass back into their own half before kicking for a 50:22 to win the throw-in at a line-out.
Referees will have more power to crack down on time-wasting around the rucks, with players from the team in possession banned from joining one when the referee has called "Use it".
"We want to be a competition that encourages quick taps and faster restarts, that cuts down on unnecessary stoppages, and that embraces positive, attacking rugby," said Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley.
Fans may also welcome less involvement from the Television Match Official, who will only be allowed to intervene unprompted if the referee has overlooked a serious act of foul play or a clear and obvious infringement leading to a try.