All Blacks stars can help Air New Zealand Cup to take off

The crucial first round of the Air New Zealand Cup got under way on Thursday with champions Waikato exposing the gulf in standards as they routed bottom-ranked Manawatu. 

The format of this 14-team competition has been simplified this year with ten rounds of round-robin.  This means every team plays all the others, apart from three sides determined by the previous year's placings.  The usual four points for a victory apply, along with bonus points for a narrow loss (within seven points) and one point for four tries. 

The top eight sides play in quarter-finals, then semi-finals and the final.  These changes make it easier for planning purposes and avoids the complexity of last year's Repechage series.  For scheduling purposes, there are also games from Thursday night until Sunday, making it difficult for those amateur players involved.

This year it is important for clubs to make the most of their squads before their All Blacks and other international players leave for the World Cup. For Waikato, the inclusion of Brendon Leonard against Manawatu was crucial to their chances of getting off to a fine start in this competition. Sione Lauaki returns next week.