Super Rugby rumbled through another weekend of action, bookended by two fine displays of attacking rugby in Suva and Sydney.
There were wins for the Crusaders, Stormers, Hurricanes, Highlanders, Sharks, Lions, Brumbies and Waratahs.
Suva crowd may be best in Super Rugby
They only get one Super Rugby game a year, but the Fijian people are certainly making the most of their 80 minutes of action. The noise and atmosphere in Suva on Friday night was easily the best of any fixture this year.
And they were treated to one of the games of the season, too, as the Chiefs and Crusaders produced a seven-try thriller worthy of semifinal billing. The two sides may yet meet again this season, but for now the Crusaders remain in the box seat in New Zealand.
The seven-time champions lost No.7 Matt Todd in the run-up to kick-off, denying fans a potential face-off for the All Blacks No. 7 jersey, but Pete Samu did an admirable job deputising alongside Jordan Taufua and Heiden Bedwall-Curtis against the powerful Chiefs back-row of Sam Cane, Michael Leitch and Mitchell Brown.
The Crusaders were outscored four tries to three, with the goal-kicking of Richie Mo'unga proving the major difference: The No. 10 knocked over two conversions and four penalties while the Chiefs could only manage two conversions.
Mo'unga had an outstanding game at No. 10 and looks to have moved beyond Lima Sopoaga -- who made his return from injury from the bench in Perth in Round 13 -- as the All Blacks' third-string fly-half option.
Cruden's goal-kicking, meanwhile, was awful and a worry for the All Blacks
Had the Chiefs given Damian McKenzie the kicking duties, as so often has been the case over the past two years, the two-time champions may have come away from Suva with the four competition points.
That Cruden was instead given the responsibility suggests All Blacks coach Steve Hansen may have had a whisper in Dave Rennie's ear as the Test boss seeks to whip his marksman into shape before the series against the British & Irish Lions. While Cruden has kicked for much of the season, in the Chiefs' last start Damian McKenzie nailed five conversions and two penalties. McKenzie has also done much of the kicking over the last two Super Rugby seasons.
Cruden struck them anything but sweetly in Suva, including one almost unforgivable miss. The Chiefs fly-half certainly knew it, too, and it was the only blemish on an otherwise sparkling display from the veteran playmaker.
Fortunately for Hansen, Beauden Barrett, who made a rare start at fullback for the Hurricanes, at least rediscovered some form from the tee as he nailed five conversions before departing Westpac Stadium after 51 minutes of the defending champions' rout of the Cheetahs.
Only those within the extreme inner sanctum will truly know if Hansen requested Cruden to take the kicking duties in Suva, but, if so, it suggests the All Blacks coach is more than just a little concerned about his kickers and that Lions coach Warren Gatland was right to have a pop earlier this year.
Highlanders hanging around
The 2015 Super Rugby champions have been the forgotten outfit from the New Zealand conference this season, but they remain firmly in the mix having completed a three-week unbeaten tour of South Africa and Australia.
Saturday night's 55-6 thumping of Western Force in Perth brought the Highlanders within two points of the Hurricanes and Chiefs, who both sit on 43 points, in New Zealand - and 10 points clear of the nearest wildcard chaser, the Blues, in the Australasian conference.
The Force were no match for the rampant Highlanders, who ran in eight tries, six after halftime as the hosts began to feel the effects of their marathon trip home from Buenos Aires.
The Highlanders are back at home in Dunedin on Saturday, when they will face the Waratahs; the Australians are coming off an impressive win over the Rebels themselves.
Highlanders coach Tony Brown will have a big call to make at No. 10, though, after Sopoaga got through 29 minutes in his return from a hamstring injury. Brown faces the tough decision of either restoring Sopoaga to the run-on side, or retaining the in-form Marty Banks.
Given what transpired in Suva, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Sopoaga back at No. 10 and handling the goal-kicking duties despite Banks' superb play over the past couple of months.
Brumbies grind in PE, but Waratahs respond
The Brumbies were forced to come from behind in Port Elizabeth, but two late tries, both of which came via grubber kicks, were enough to see them deny the Kings a fourth straight win.
Stephen Larkham's side were behind 10-5 until the 64th minute, when fullback Aidan Toua won the race to a rolling Joe Powell grubber, produced a miraculous pick-up, and rolled over to wrestle the lead from the hosts.
Six minutes later Tevita Kuridrani showed a depth of skill few probably thought he had as he, too, opted for a kick in behind the Kings' defence; Joe Banks followed through to touch down inches from the in-goal touchline.
But it was Chris Alcock for whom the Brumbies owed much of their victory -- the No. 7 topping his side's tackle and run charts, and producing the vital intercept that led to Toua's try. Alcock has never really been mentioned in Wallabies discussions, but his performance in Port Elizabeth will have sure caught the eye of Michael Cheika. Not that the Wallabies coach will waste any time in naming his starting openside for next month's Test against Fiji in Melbourne.
Michael Hooper is one of the few Australian players with his reputation intact this season, and he took his game to another level on Sunday afternoon with a display Greg Growden believes reflected his growing maturity and one that must see Cheika seize the opportunity and instate the Waratahs openside as his Test skipper.
Having weathered an early storm from the Rebels, in which the Waratahs conceded six straight penalties, Hooper not only managed referee Angus Gardner with professionalism but then ripped the Melbournians to shreds with 14 runs for 129 metres, five clean breaks, seven tackle busts and a try.
Hooper understands running lines and angles like few forwards can, probably tracing back to junior days where he played a lot of rugby in the centres. It's up to the rest of the Waratahs to follow their skipper's lead, however, as anything other than a first-rate performance in Dunedin will see them beaten easily by the in-form Highlanders.