OPINION: The 2019 Super Rugby season will be upon us before we know it.
The Crusaders will start as favourites again, after winning their second consecutive title in 2018 and ninth overall. This puts them six titles ahead of the next best, the Bulls and Blues who have three titles each.
They are the most dominant team in the competition's history and have missed the playoffs only four times in 23 completed seasons. They have also been in 13 finals; winning nine and losing four.
Despite their dominance, they endured a nine-year title drought under former coach Todd Blackadder. They only missed one playoff under his tenure in 2015 due to the farcical conference format that ensured the Stormers - with one less competition point - gained entry ahead of the Crusaders that year as the South African conference winners.
They also lost the 2011 and 2014 finals to the Reds and Waratahs respectively.
The arrival of Scott Robertson in 2017 saw the title drought end and he - in two seasons - has turned the Crusaders from title contenders to a dominant force.
In two seasons they lost just three games - two of those were away to the Hurricanes, the other away to the Highlanders in 2018. They defeated the Lions in Johannesburg in the 2017 final and again in Christchurch in the 2018 final.
In 2019 they remain the team to beat but seeing as it's a World Cup year, they're already preparing to lose some key players. It has already been confirmed that Kieran Read is leaving after this season, but several other key and veteran players, like Owen Franks, Sam Whitelock, Ryan Crotty and Israel Dagg, are strong chances of looking offshore beyond the end of the 2019 season.
Therefore this season will be one where the team will be more determined than ever to win another title to send off some of their veteran players with more Super Rugby glory if or when they decide to find a new challenge elsewhere.
The Crusaders are the only team to win three titles in a row, which they achieved between 1998-2000 and they have a strong chance of repeating that feat in 2019 if they are able to play consistently well enough throughout the season.
They are yet to lose a game at home during Scott Robertson's tenure and they have made that stadium, even though it is probably past its use-by-date, a fortress that no one can take down, at this point.
There will be no break for June internationals this year so there will be fewer disruptions for the teams, however, because of the World Cup, the workloads of the players will be managed much more efficiently than other years.
The Crusaders are usually hit the hardest with the resting of players, but they have had enough depth in the last two years to negate the loss of their top talent.
If they can indeed achieve a second hat-trick of titles and become the first team to achieve 10 titles overall, that would be fantastic!
Despite the issues I have with the ridiculous conference formats, I hope this season is still good enough with the shortened Rugby Championghip and World Cup in Japan - fingers crossed the All Blacks can also capture a hat-trick of titles.