#Mark Telea

By Alex McLeod of RugbyPass.com Ian Foster's 35-man All Blacks squad will assemble for the first time today in Whakatane as preparations for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup series get underway. Plenty of anticipation has arisen since last week's confirmation that the All Blacks and Wallabies will do battle with each other for the first time in over a…

After a dramatic build-up, Super Rugby Pacific got off to an entertaining start last week. The Fijian Drua might not have got a first-up win, but they were still a huge hit in Sydney as they fell to the Waratahs 40-10. There were wins for the Crusaders, Chiefs and Reds on Saturday, before a Sunday afternoon thriller was taken out by the Brumbies…

Scotland continue their end-of-year campaign with a third successive match at Murrayfield, and this one is set to be their toughest yet, as New Zealand's All Blacks travel to Edinburgh looking for a third consecutive victory on their tour of the Northern Hemisphere. Scotland's two Tests this autumn have been a mixed bag, with Gregor Townsend's men…

There are now just three unbeaten teams in Super Rugby Pacific, with the Crusaders, Brumbies and Reds sitting in first, second and third respectively after three rounds of the tournament. Elsewhere in Round 3, there was an historic first win for Fijian Drua, while the Blues and Hurricanes also picked up victories. Read on as we look at some of the…

Beauden Barrett races away for one of two tries against the Highlanders. Photo / Photosport Blues 35 Highlanders 6 One down, two hurdles to clear for the Blues. Two strikes from stand-in skipper Beauden Barrett propelled the Blues to their 14th straight win of the season, and into next Saturday's home semifinal against the winner of the Brumbies…

Anyone who says they know for sure who'll win the Super Rugby Pacific final at Eden Park is dreaming, kidding, or chasing clicks online. The TAB fractionally favours the Blues, $1.80for the win to the Crusaders' $1.92. Here's why I think it's an even-money punt. Home ground advantage? Eden Park will be packed, and quite rightly Auckland fans love…