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SOCHI – Slow and messy starts seem to be par for the course for the Canadian mens Olympic hockey team. Even though, the 2014 edition enjoyed three days of practice and four skates, in total, before the opener, Sidney Crosby and Co. were not sharp in their 3-1 win against Norway at the Bolshoy Ice Palace on Thursday. There was little authority from Canada. There were some nerves. But slow starts have been the case in the past three Winter Games, when Canada usually had only a day or two of on-ice sessions before the game-action began. Norway deserves credit for its determined game and defensive zone coverage. But even though the Canadians outshot their opponents 38-20, their power play (0-for-2) was abysmal and their scoring touch around Norwegian goalie Lars Haugen was missing in action. Canadian head coach Mike Babcock revealed afterwards that his club mustered only 24 scoring chances. Canada pulled out the victory because the fourth line of Jamie Benn, John Tavares and Patrice Bergeron came to play, despite limited ice time, and the defence played an active and effective game offensively. At best-on-best tournaments like the Olympics, Canadian players remark time and time again that they want to get better as the tournament goes on. Sometimes they overcome slow starts, like in 2002 and 2010. Sometimes they dont, like in 2006. But a common theme has been a slow start in the preliminary rounds. 2002 L 5-2 SwedenW 3-2 GermanyT 3-3 Czech Republic 2006 W 7-2 ItalyW 5-1 GermanyL 2-0 Switzerland 2010 W 8-0 NorwayW 3-2 Switzerland (shootout)L 5-3 United States Canadian Olympic teams struggle to come together quickly. It doesnt matter if its the bigger international-sized ice surface or the smaller NHL rink. One of the reasons is because they are asked to take on different roles and reduced ice time. Not every one can make the adjustment seamlessly. 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Stricker was replaced in the field by Ryo Ishikawa of Japan.Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett go head-to-head in the battle to succeed Dan Carter as All Blacks fly-half in Saturdays Super Rugby clash between the Chiefs and Hurricanes, live on Sky Sports 2 HD. Carters mastery in the No 10 jersey made him a three-time world player of the year and his departure from the international scene has created intense competition in New Zealand, with Cruden and Barrett the front-runners.The Chiefs have been the pacesetters in Super Rugby and with Cruden returning to his peak after missing last years World Cup through injury, the Waikato unit have won six out of seven matches. Barretts Hurricanes have also recovered from a woeful start to the season to win five consecutive games after losing the first two.Sandwiched between the two in the New Zealand conference are the Crusaders, who are in Canberra to play old Australian rivals the Brumbies.The Stormers and Lions, who lead the two African conferences, play the lowly Reds and Southern Kings respectively. Damian McKenzie has been in sparking form for the Chiefs The Chiefs head to Wellington refreshed after a bye and with Cruden commanding the competitions most potent backline, where he is developing a strong partnership with full-back Damian McKenzie.The pair mix their roles on the field in a way that has helped McKenzie become the tournaments top try-scorer and overall leading points-scorer. McCaw backs Schmidt for All Blacks Richie McCaw believes Ireland coach Joe Schmidt will have a future role with New Zealand Our game plan allows us to both get into first receiver and jump around a bit so I think its going well, said McKenzie, whose fly-half skills have also been rated highly by All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.With the departure of veteran All Blacks Maa Nonu and Conrad Smith at the end of last year, and a season-ending injury to Nehe Milner-Skudder, Barrett does not enjoy the same level of support as Cruden.But he has been able to keep the Hurricanes competitive as evidenced by his two tries and four conversions last week when he oversaw a 38-13 win against the Rebels. Ben Smith returns for the Highlanders against the Sharks Defending champions the Highlanders start the weekend at home to the Sharks, who are looking to recover from their loss to the Blues in the first game of their New Zealand tour.Thhe Highlanders won five straight before a shock loss to the Reds and have since had a bye to give themselves time to find out what went wrong.ddddddddddddCaptain Ben Smith, who missed the Reds surprise, returns to the starting line-up. The Sharks made a strong start to the year but are on a three-game losing streak and have undergone some serious soul-searching this week.We had a tough meeting on Monday about the things we got wrong and discussed where we are and where we want to go, said JP Pietersen, who will start at centre in Dunedin. Take a look back at the best moments from our 25 years of rugby union coverage on Sky Sports The Brumbies will provide a measure of where Australian rugby is at when they host a Crusaders side brimming with confidence after posting six wins on the trot.The Brumbies and Crusaders were the competitions leading rivals in the early 2000s but it has been nine years since the Australians last tasted success. The Jaguares have struggled in their debut Super Rugby season and are on a six-game losing streak The Jaguares, following a disappointing three-loss swing through New Zealand, will be looking to notch their second win when they play fellow Super Rugby newcomers the Sunwolves in Tokyo.For the Sunwolves, it represents a chance to regain some lost pride after their embarrassing 92-17 loss to the Cheetahs last week.The Cheetahs are in Melbourne to meet the Rebels, who lie second in the Australian conference, while the Western Force host the Waratahs in Perth. 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