A whole heap of things about to happen during Super Rugby Aotearoa. Or not?

No-one will miss not playing the Ozzie sides.

Or not watching them. Because no-one was anyway and hadn't done for years.

The Sunwolves will eventually be seen as the Central Vikings of the comp - it seemed like such a good idea at the time.

Dan Carter will take the field for the first game vs the Hurricanes, but only to deliver the water.

There will be no more excuses for the weekly unfathomable jersey colour clash we saw almost every round at the start of the season.

The Crusaders stadium will still look like a garden shed they've plonked in a paddock beside a carpark.

While several prominent politicians and councillors in election year will again publicly spout about how it's their mission to get this new one built asap.

Next year will be the 11th straight year they'll be saying this and they year after that will be the 12th.

Every time we watch a game in Dunedin we'll all collectively think what a  great idea that roof on the stadium is. Again.

Damian McKenzie will remind us all of what we missed out on most of last year. Again.

Dan Carter will not get booed in Christchurch. That would be worse than Beauden getting the treatment in Wellington - which also won't happen.

There will be at least one reset scrum in every match. And no-one will know what actually happened, who was responsible and why it collapsed in the  first place.

The referees will all wear shorts smaller and tighter than 1980s NBA players.

Why they can never find a pair that properly fits is as much of a mystery as the ruck'n'maul law.

If the Blues do end up winning it all Leon McDonald will not breakdance at the final whistle. Neither would Warren Gatland, Aaron Mauger or Jason Holland.

Some scribe from the Northern Hemisphere will write a scathing article about  how it's just another silly-billy touch tournament and isn't a patch on their mud-soaked 9-6 stalemate scorelines.

The Highlanders most probably won't win it. The Crusaders quite possibly will.