An All Blacks-heavy Crusaders kick off their Super Rugby title defence against the Highlanders on Friday as the southern hemisphere competition trials a raft of rule changes designed to speed up the game.
Rob Penney's Crusaders were back to their brutal best last season after an injury-blighted 2024, with their no-frills rugby carrying them to a record 15th title.
They get their campaign under way at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin with David Havili captaining a squad that boasts 11 All Blacks.
New Zealand skipper Scott Barrett is not among them because he is on a sabbatical.
"There's always a bit of excitement going around in week one," said Penney, who named a powerful bench that includes five All Blacks in Will Jordan, Codie Taylor, Fletcher Newell, George Bower and Kyle Preston.
"We've got a bit of a bomb squad off the bench, which is exciting," Penney added. "This is a good South Island derby, it'll be ultra-competitive."
The Crusaders lifted the trophy last season by beating the Chiefs 16-12, consigning the Waikato side to runners-up for a third successive season.
The Chiefs have a new coach this year in Jono Gibbes after Clayton McMillan left for Irish club Munster.
His first match shapes as a baptism of fire, against the Blues at Eden Park on Saturday without star fullback Damian McKenzie, who is on paternity leave.
"You always know that you haven't had enough time to focus on every single thing (in the pre-season)," said Gibbes.
"There will be some stuff that is highlighted by a very good Blues team -– that's the size of the challenge."
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The Blues, the 2024 champions who only just scraped into the playoffs last season, are also depleted.
They are missing playmaker Beauden Barrett, who is on extended leave, and injured skipper Patrick Tuipulotu.
Once again Australia's title charge is set to be led by Stephen Larkham's Brumbies, who travel to Perth to play Western Force with Australia's most-capped player James Slipper embarking on his 16th Super Rugby season.
"We have confidence in our squad to deliver across a long season of Super Rugby," said Larkham, who has handed a run-on debut to young centre Kadin Pritchard.
He gets his chance after Wallabies star Len Ikitau departed for Exeter.
ATTACKING RUGBY
In other games, Waratahs meet Reds and Fijian Drua play Moana Pasifika.
All players will have to adapt to five rule changes being trialled in a bid to cut out slow play.
Among them, teams are now permitted to pass the ball back into their own half and kick a 50:22, while no player from the team in possession can join a ruck once the referee calls "use it".
There will be more lenience given to players keen to tap-and-go and referees will not be obligated to issue a red or yellow card when they award a penalty try.
Accidental offsides or delays in clearing the ball from a ruck will now lead to a free kick rather than a scrum, while the role of the television match official has been reduced.
The TMO can only now step in unprompted for serious foul play or clear and obvious infringements that directly lead to a try.
Super Rugby boss Jack Mesley said four minutes of "dead time" had been wiped from games on average in the last four years because of innovations.
"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," he said.