Friday, 2nd February 2007 at 7:49 am

No All Blacks - half a chance?

A Blues-Crusaders clash always has a bearing on Super rugby, both teams having enjoyed plenty of success over the years. But when the two Kiwi sides get the 2007 Super 14 underway, there’ll be an added dimension to the derby game: for the first seven weeks of the tournament, the leading All Blacks will be enforced spectators, and so South African (and Australian) rugby fans will be watching closely to see how the New Zealand sides shape up without their star players.

It means Dan Carter (pictured) and Richie McCaw will be amongst those missing for the defending champions, at the directive of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union; the Blues have Kevan Mealamu and rampant Fijian Joe Rokocoko on the can’t touch list for seven weeks.

The result? We’ll probably discover a legion of outstanding young Kiwi rugby players, eager to seize an early opportunity - but hopefully the touch of green to the five New Zealand teams will create a sliver of an opening for South African teams to take advantage of. Wishful thinking? Perhaps. But that’s why the Blues-Crusaders will be watched extremely closely this morning…