The Crusaders have named a near full-strength team to face the Highlanders in the Super Rugby Aotearoa season-opener at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Friday.
The Blues have walked away from a hastily-arranged game-of-three-halves undefeated after beating the Crusaders and Chiefs in Cambridge.
The Crusaders travel north today, ahead of their rescheduled pre-season fixture against the Blues and Chiefs tomorrow afternoon. The game of three halves will kick off from midday at Hautapu Sports in Cambridge.
Crusaders loose forward Tom Sanders, the man who caught many an eye during last year's North v South clash, will be sidelined for the next eight weeks due to a head clash suffered in an intra-squad match last week.
The Crusaders will be without their second-string hooker for the entire Super Rugby season.
If there were any uncertainties surrounding whether or not the Crusaders could secure a fifth Super Rugby title on the trot, today's squad naming should have quelled any fears in the Canterbury and Tasman regions.
Without All Blacks playing in the Mitre 10 Cup, the competition will lose plenty of its stardust over the coming weeks, and the impact of their departures will differ for each province.
Canterbury are set to again be strong contenders for the Mitre 10 Cup this year after unveiling a 37-man squad on Wednesday that oozes depth and experience.