SHARKS
The Sharks can defend. This is something that was discovered and impressed on South African rugby watchers last season. If there'll be a measure of their improvement, it'll lie in how they marry their attacking and defensive disciplines into a seamless union. The Sharks are well stocked in all departments and coach Robert du Preez will have some serious selection headaches.
One of them will be explaining how his namesake son will be starting ahead of the capped Bok Curwin Bosch. The Sharks have two home games against the Waratahs and the Sunwolves before they head across the Indian Ocean. The Blues may be an unknown quantity but they should get the better of the Auckland-based side while collecting points in Melbourne and Canberra. Their trip to Wellington will be a tough one but they've avoided the Saders. The Sharks will bulldoze their way into the play-offs.
BULLS
If the Bulls find a decent semblance of forward structure to the back fluidity they displayed towards the end of the Currie Cup, they will be a difficult team to handle. The keys to the Bulls' success lies in two things: How quickly their young scrumhalves adapt to Super Rugby's demands and Handre Pollard's fitness.
Also, they'll have to travel well because this isn't something they've excelled in historically. They've got trips to Brisbane, Hamilton, Christchurch and Buenos Aires while their campaign starts with home games against the Lions and the Hurricanes. A good start will help the Bulls in the long run.
STORMERS
The Stormers will start their campaign without the considerable presence of lock Eben Etzebeth but will be buoyed by tighthead Wilco Louw's return to fitness. That he has avoided serious injury is a boost as it has averted a potential crisis in that curiously delicate position. The Stormers' draw does them no favours with the Jaguares coming to town first up before the team heads for Sydney, Christchurch and Dunedin.
The injuries will rob them of the upfront substance that is going to be needed if they want a platform to unleash their evolving game plan. Coach Robbie Fleck has injected energy and purpose into the Stormers' attack but his test will be to establish a balance between that aspect of their play and their ability to roll with the punches. The Stormers perennially make the play-offs but that isn't guaranteed in the revised competition. Some of their stellar staff may make a well-timed return but the Stormers can't afford to lose ground early.
LIONS
Coach Johan Ackermann may have left but the Lions have continuity running through the spine of their playing ranks. Of the players who featured in last year's Super Rugby final only Faf de Klerk and Ruan Ackermann have left the franchise. Captain Warren Whiteley is back from injury, which is a huge boost, but the team is relatively inexperienced in their coaching set-up.
They however have the experience in their playing resources to mitigate any shortfalls in their brains trust. The Lions appear to have a favourable draw. They have six home matches and trips to Pretoria and Buenos Aires in their first eight matches. In fact, if they beat the Sharks and the Bulls in the first three rounds, they might build the momentum needed for another run on the play-offs. Once there, however, they are going to need an extra gear. The Lions appear to be the flag-bearer in the local conference but first they need to beat the Sharks.THE COMEBACKSDAVID POCOCK:
The Brumbies flank last year went on a sabbatical to help extend his test career.
His return is on ice for the first two months due to knee surgery but he’ll be back with a bang.BEN SMITH:
The All Blacks’ utility back took time out from the game last season.
He was concussed twice before taking a bang on the ear.
Expect him to have a spring in his step and buoyancy in his jump.CHRISTIAN LEALIIFANO:
His tale was one that struck a chord across the rugby world last year.
He was diagnosed with leukaemia but he bounced back by rebuilding his career at Ulster.HACJIVAH DAYIMANI:
In Dayimani the Lions have a rough diamond that can be polished.
There’s pace, power, finesse and a workrate that fits in with the Lions hi-octane rugby style.STEPHEN PEROFETA:
The Blues are unfortunate to lose the 20-year-old starlet to a six-week hand-injury layoff because he could be the resolution to their flyhalf crisis.
He’ll rock when he recovers.ASAFO AUMUA:
In the event of a Dane Coles injury, the explosive 20-year-old hooker will be an able deputy.
His all-round game is not in doubt but Super Rugby will test his scrumming and throwing skills.THE REST 
AUSTRALIA
If Super Rugby didn't have a convoluted conference play-off system last season, Australia's best side (Brumbies) wouldn't have made the quarterfinals. The Blues, who were New Zealand's worst Super Rugby outfit, collected more points than the Brumbies (37 to 34). That said everything about the quagmire Australian rugby found itself in last season. The bottom four sides (Rebels, Waratahs, Reds and the Force) won a combined 15 matches. Oddly, it was the Force, who won six to the Rebels' one, who were ejected from the tournament to ensure it was streamlined.
The union strongholds of Queensland and New South Wales have to deliver for the Australian group and not just leave it to the Brumbies. Stephen Larkham's side was boring, but it got them to the play-off stages. The same could have been said of the rest of the Australian teams as only Fox Sport's overboard commentary teams provided the necessary entertainment.
The Waratahs and the Reds have the personnel to make a better fist of things in 2018 but whether their respective coaches in Daryl Gibson and Brad Thorn are up to the mark remains to be seen. As for the Rebels, they can only wish and hope for the best if they continue to be their rabble selves of 2017.
NEW ZEALAND
There were the New Zealand sides and there was everybody else. That was how big the gulf was between New Zealand and the rest. It made sense when the Crusaders won the tournament away from home against an exceptional but error-prone Lions side. They were the best of a very good bunch of teams from the Land of the Long White Cloud but like scaling a mountain, getting to the top is easier than staying there. The New Zealand franchises have cannibalised each other over the past two seasons and that could be the case this season.
The Hurricanes inflicted the Crusaders' only loss while the New Zealand teams didn't lose to Australian and South African opposition at home. Of the New Zealand sides, it's the Blues who are most vulnerable. They're the only New Zealand side who haven't made the play-offs in the past 11 years but have shown signs of improvement under Tana Umaga. The Hurricanes, Highlanders and the Chiefs have all won the tournament in the past six years and will be serious play-off candidates.
THE REST
Not much should be expected from the Sunwolves, but the Jaguares have to deliver at some point in this campaign. The Argentinian side have promised much but delivered little. This has been apparent against the South African sides, who have found the trip to South America extremely irritating. It's against New Zealand where they've come unstuck - badly. They've wanted to play like them, which works to an extent before the highly skilful and supremely fit New Zealanders use their superior conditioning to see off the Argentines.
For a team that picks a bunch of internationals, a 10th-place finish with seven wins from 15 games was a poor return. To correct that statistic and become a force to be reckoned with, they need to solve their disciplinary problems and relearn how to balance their tactics.
They've got the hang of broken play but once they regain their tactical kicking and forward prowess, they'll be a handful for any of their opponents. The Sunwolves will spring one, if not two surprises when teams have their guards down but that's pretty much all that should be expected from them...