Team announcement: Chiefs head coach Warren Gatland has named his side to take on the Highlanders for their Super Rugby Aotearoa season opener in Dunedin on Saturday 13 June at 7.05pm.
All four are to play in the Rugby Championship in Australia, with Laulala granted paternity leave to delay his departure across the Tasman.
All Blacks Nepo Laulala and Dalton Papali’i, as well as World Cup-winning former All Black skipper Kieran Read, have been named in the Counties Manukau Steelers side for their opening Mitre 10 Cup match against Tasman on Saturday night.
Those results all provided no shortage of storylines and talking points, as did South Africa's non-inclusion in the tournament, so five RugbyPass writers have taken it upon themselves to evaluate exactly how things panned out.
The Blues are determined to ensure their progress in 2020 was no aberration after naming their squad for the Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa competition.
With the All Blacks' season coming to a close with Saturday's dominant 38-0 win over Argentina, we look back on how the Kiwis fared over the course of the year.
But arguably the most pleasing thing for the All Blacks, alongside the breakout tests from Jordan and Blindside Flanker Akira Ioane, was the humiliation of the Pumas at the set-piece.
The All Blacks have all but won the Tri Nations after defeating the Pumas 38-0 in Newcastle on Saturday. New Zealand now sits five competition-points clear on the standings, while both Argentina and Australia need unthinkable wins.