At long last, we rugby fans have some real action to feast our eyes on, and it's as good of action as you're going to see on a rugby field. With the beginning of the Super Rugby Aotearoa, which pits the five New Zealand Super Rugby franchises against one another in a 10-week season, all eyes will be on the two matchups this weekend. 

The first of the two matches will be the Chiefs vs the Highlanders, which always treats fans to a spectacle. 

The second matchup is between the Blues and the Hurricanes, which holds some extremely intriguing "game within the game" dynamics, as Hurricanes legend Beauden Barrett will be suiting up in his first game for his new team, the Blues.

Here is preview of each matchup and a prediction of the outcomes:

Highlanders vs Chiefs | 6/13 | 3:00 am (ET)

The Highlanders, used to being in the upper echelons of Super Rugby, found themselves struggling in the league before the pandemic struck. At 1-1-4, the Landers have had a tough time replacing legendary captain Ben Smith, but with time to regroup before the Aotearoa, they'll be locked and loaded for a fresh start. 

After a brief stint trialing at fullback and center, All Blacks third choice fly-half Josh Ioane slots back in to the 10 shirt, outside of All Black Aaron Smith. Fly-half Mitch Hunt moves to fullback as the Highlanders hop in on the new trend of playing two 10's. Ash Dixon will captain the team in his 73rd appearance for the franchise. 

The Chiefs, led by former Wales coach Warren Gatland, were off to a flying start in the league at 4-2 before Covid-19 ended the season. The return of fly-half Aaron Cruden allowed Damian McKenzie, who had recovered from knee surgery, to move back to his customary role of fullback. 

And we're back! Here's your team to face the Highlanders this Saturday in Dunedin ?

READ MORE: https://t.co/eVsCNGX3rS#HIGvCHI #ChiefsMana pic.twitter.com/Xom2VsjTJl

— Gallagher Chiefs (@ChiefsRugby) June 11, 2020

Both Luke Jacobson and Lachland Boshier get the starts after sublime displays in the first six games of the 2020 season. All Blacks Sam Cane and Aaron Cruden won't be in the starting lineup; Cruden is on the bench and Cane will not play at all. The Chiefs will still have heaps of firepower with captain Brad Weber, Anton Leinert Brown, Shaun Stevenson and the electric Damian McKenzie suiting up in the backline. 

Prediction: Highlanders 23-27 Chiefs

Blues vs Hurricanes | 6/13 | 11:35 pm (ET)

The Blues have had a rough go of things in the past eight years, but 2020 looked to be the dawn of a new era before the pandemic shut things down. At 5-2, the Blues were looking good and were still awaiting the arrival of Beauden Barrett. He now joins the fray for the Aotearoa, as well as one of the great players of all time, Dan Carter. 

Feels so good to be home ✊?

? SUN 14 JUN
⏰ 3.35pm
? Eden Park
? Limited Availability#BluesAllDay #BluesTogether #BLUvHUR pic.twitter.com/a6JVWiSaqz

— The Blues (@BluesRugbyTeam) June 12, 2020

All Black second row Patrick Tuipulotu captains the squad, with exciting Hoskins Sotutu lining up at the back of the scrum. The backline is looking lethal, with Otere Black assuming the reins at 10 with Rieko Ioane at outside center and Beauden Barrett filling in at fullback. Look out for winger Mark Telea to have a good showing; he was scintillating before the season came to an end. 

The Canes were also off to a strong start in the league in 2020, going 4-2 for the first six games. Despite losing Beauden Barrett to the Blues, the Canes still remained one of the best teams in the league, led by All Blacks Dane Coles, TJ Perenara, and Ngani Laumape. Superstar Ardie Savea missed the first part of the season through injury, but is back in business for the Aotearoa. 

Squad goals ? @SuperRugbyNZ pic.twitter.com/UlU9lbdABp

— Hurricanes Rugby (@Hurricanesrugby) June 12, 2020

Hooker Coles and scrum-half Perenara will co-captain the team, and the backline looks as dangerous as ever. Jackson Garden-Bachop starts at fly-half, with the sublime duo of Laumape and Vince Aso in the centers, and try-scoring machine Ben Lam on the wing. Ardie Savea suits up on the bench for his first game back since the World Cup semi-final against England. 

Prediction: Blues 27-28 Hurricanes