All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is sure maverick Quade Cooper will return to Eden Park on Saturday as the Wallabies search for ways to unleash their attacking potential.
It just gets worse for the Warriors, who slumped to their sixth consecutive defeat when falling 18-16 to the Panthers at Mt Smart and the pressure on coach Brian McClennan will surely rise.
Sonny Bill Williams is rarely out of the spotlight, but the glare is sure to increase in intensity this weekend when the All Blacks play Australia in Sydney.
Hundreds of people welcomed back New Zealand's triumphant Olympic medalists at Auckland Airport today, with gold medallist sailors Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie given the honour of leading out the "golden flight" from London via Singapore.
Senior All Blacks have held a meeting with the squad's newcomers to ensure they recognise the importance of the looming challenge against traditional foe Australia.
Will Genia was a rare shining light for Australia in the recent Super Rugby competition, and not surprisingly the All Blacks have made it a priority to snuff out his threat in Sydney on Saturday.
Tomorrow the All Blacks will ramp up their preparations for the first Rugby Championship match against Australia, but whether Sonny Bill Williams is involved still remains to be seen.
A question mark still hangs over the availability of Sonny Bill Williams for the All Blacks' first two games of the Rugby Championship against Australia.
Patrick McKendry of APNZ provides five reasons to look forward to the Rugby Championship.
If All Blacks' wing Cory Jane's humour is any guide, he is back sharper than ever after his injury-enforced time out.
Standing across from Warriors winger Bill Tupou at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville tomorrow night will be a player he regards as a role model - and also a key threat to his side's aim of finishing the season on a winning note.
It's not quite siege mentality time yet for the Warriors but it's not far away, and they are going for safety in numbers for what will be a challenging assignment in Townsville against the Cowboys on Saturday.
Ali Williams remains firmly in the All Black frame and would have been considered for the final matches of the inaugural Rugby Championship but for a setback with his knee injury.
The Chiefs have claimed their first Super 15 title with a convincing win 37-6 over the Sharks in Hamilton tonight.
Five reasons why the Chiefs should beat the Sharks to claim their first Super Rugby title.
The Chiefs are into their second Super Rugby final after hanging on for a thrilling semifinal victory over the Crusaders tonight.
The Chiefs haven't quite gone from sitting pretty to sitting ducks, but two losses in two weeks will give them plenty to think about as they prepare to host a Super Rugby semifinal.
Sacked Blues coach Pat Lam has urged the franchise to support John Kirwan in an emotional final press conference today in which he said he had "taken the final hit".
Todd Blackadder rarely loses his cool, but he was furious at claims from two Bulls players that they were eye-gouged during the round-robin match against the Crusaders in Pretoria in April.
He has been the beneficiary of two controversial decisions in two weeks but Crusaders halfback Andy Ellis would be happy for the television match official's powers to be increased.
