Tupou Vaa'i of the Chiefs scores. Photo: Photosport
In what is hard to believe was the competition leaders against the cellar dwellers, the Chiefs and Blues put on a thriller in Hamilton, with the Chiefs edging it 32-31.
A missed kick for touch with just seconds remaining deprived the defending champions of one last chance to steal the win, the Chiefs calmly closing out another pulsating game of Super Rugby Pacific 2025.
The Chiefs kicked off the scoring in thrilling style, a stupendous Shaun Stevenson offloading out the back door sending Daniel Rona over for the opener.
A pirouetting Damian Mckenzie scored the second as he scooped up a wayward ball, before slipping through the line.
A diving Mark Telea brought the Blues back just before the break, the hosts holding a 15-12 advantage.
It was tit-for-tat in the second forty, first Corey Evans slicing through for the Blues, shortly followed by Tupou Vaa'i stretching out a limb to plant it on the chalk.
The lead changes continued, Marcel Renata rumbling over from close range before Cortez Ratima finished off a superb movement sparked by McKenzie inside his own half.
After a quiet match, Reiko Ioane was the beneficiary of a perfect crosskick by Stephen Perofeta, to give debutant Xavi Taele a crack at taking the lead with a sideline conversion, only for his effort to plough into the posts.
The Blues had one last shot at victory after Anton Segner won a penalty with sixty seconds to play, but Perofeta missed touch to bring the curtain down on another classic.
Relive the action with RNZ's live blog:
Team lists
Chiefs: 1. Ollie Norris, 2. Brodie McAlister, 3. George Dyer, 4. Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 5. Tupou Vaa'i, 6. Simon Parker, 7. Jahrome Brown, 8. Luke Jacobson (c), 9. Xavier Roe, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Leroy Carter, 12. Quinn Tupaea, 13. Anton Lienert-Brown, 14. Emoni Narawa, 15. Shaun Stevenson
Bench: 16. Samisoni Taukei'aho, 17. Aidan Ross, 18. Sione Ahio, 19. Jimmy Tupou, 20. Samipeni Finau, 21. Cortez Ratima, 22. Josh Jacomb, 23. Daniel Rona
Blues: 1. Jordan Lay, 2. Kurt Eklund, 3. Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 5. Laghlan McWhannell, 6. Cameron Christie, 7. Dalton Papali'i, 8. Anton Segner, 9. Sam Nock, 10. Harry Plummer, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Xavi Taele, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Mark Tele'a, 15. Corey Evans
Bench: 16. Nathaniel Pole, 17. Joshua Fusitu'a, 18. Angus Ta'avao, 19. Josh Beehre, 20. Cameron Suafoa, 21. Finlay Christie, 22. Stephen Perofeta, 23. AJ Lam
