Analysis - There's a certain irony in the fact that the Chiefs landed a significant body blow to the Blues' title hopes and weren't even aware of it in their 31-17 loss at Eden Park. Josh Ioane's try on the last play of the game meant nothing to the Chiefs, even if they'd won the game it would've ultimately meant nothing in terms of their position on the table anyway.
Chiefs co-captain Rameka Poihipi admitted post-match that his side, who by that stage had emptied their bench, had no idea their frantic efforts to simply bring a bit of respectability to the score line would have some potentially far-reaching consequences.
Since it stripped the Blues of a bonus point, the Hurricanes now sit on top of the table and have home advantage all the way through to the final - if they make it. The Blues have only lost two games this season and one was at Sky Stadium, but while it's disappointing for Vern Cotter's side to think that the final game of the season probably won't be at Eden Park, it's almost certainly not as disappointed as Eden Park bosses will be at not being able to host a guaranteed sell out.
That's for the future, though. Right now, it seems that the Blues have learned a lot about themselves in the last fortnight, first in a loss and now in a win. Cotter was upbeat post-match, saying as much and simply focusing on what they have to do next.
"If you want to win the title, you have to beat everyone so it doesn't matter. There will be parts of that game we'll try get better. Perhaps get a bit more control in the last 10 minutes, a little bit more edge in the last part of the first-half. The danger of finishing first is your feet lift. We know we've got a lot of work to do. It wasn't a total performance but it was a good one."
Meanwhile, down in Wellington it's unlikely anyone found out anything new about the Hurricanes. Their 41-14 win over the Highlanders was almost a carbon copy of the last time the sides played, the only real difference being that Salesi Rayasi reminded everyone of just how good he can be by picking up a hat trick.
Clark Laidlaw has now matched his predecessor Chris Boyd in taking the Canes to the top of the table at the end of their first regular season in charge. Boyd's side eventually lost the 2015 final, then won it the next season - about as close to dynasty as the Canes can boast over their entire history.
Drua end Crusaders' hopes, Brumbies set up handy quarterfinal
The Drua and Rebels made it interesting in Lautoka for the first-half at least, with the scores 19-all the break. But the hosts pulled away after the break to make it a comfortable 40-19 final score, which meant they now travel to Auckland to play the Blues next weekend while the Rebels head to the meet the Canes in Wellington.
Of course, the outcome everyone was more interested in from this game was that it finally extinguished the Crusaders' play-off chances. That situation has highlighted just how ridiculous the current eight team format is, but really not far behind it is the Rebels getting in despite losing their last six games in a row.
But it has been a tough week for the Rebels, who learned that their next loss will mean they are finished as a team in Super Rugby. They're probably wondering why they're getting cut and the Waratahs get to stay, though. The Tahs' season is mercifully over, who would have thought the only two wins they'd achieve in 2024 would both be against the Crusaders?
Down the road in Canberra though, things are moving along nicely for the Brumbies. They did what they had to do against the Force by winning 24-19, which sets them up for a home quarterfinal next weekend. They'll certainly be fancying their chances after seeing the Canes lay waste to the Highlanders, besides they've already won in Dunedin this season anyway.
It means that next weekend's quarterfinals have an unfortunately one-sided look to all of them, though. The one intriguing clash is the Chiefs and Reds, a replay of the same game last year where the Chiefs only just scraped home.
Super Rugby Pacific quarterfinals
Chiefs v Reds
Kick-off: 7.05pm Friday 7 June
FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
Hurricanes v Rebels
Kick-off: 4.35pm Saturday 8 June
Sky Stadium, Wellington
Blues v Drua
Kick-off: 7.05pm Saturday 8 June
Eden Park, Auckland
Brumbies v Highlanders
Kick-off: 9.35pm Saturday 8 June
GIO Stadium, Canberra
