The record 24-47 loss by the Blues left them vulnerable, especially with their bye next week and their last game against the second-placed Chiefs, in the hunt for a home playoff berth.
The Chiefs maintained their hold on second place with a comfortable 42-12 win, which almost finished the Highlanders’ prospects of a top-six place. In Australia, the Force put pressure on the sixth-placed Reds with a 19-14 win in Perth, especially after the Waratahs celebrated a first win over the Drua in Fiji, winning 50-35.
Chiefs 42 Highlanders 12
It was another night of ‘if onlys’ for the Highlanders against the Chiefs in Hamilton. Highlanders scrum power, especially in front of the Chiefs’ posts, provided an opportunity, albeit with untidy ball, for flanker Lucas Casey to clean up and power his way over the line for the opening try 19 minutes into the contest. Sadly for the southerners, that only poked the bear. Six minutes later, keeping the ball close during a 13-phase build-up, the Chiefs’ pair of lock Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi and No8 Wallace Sititi, who scored half of their side’s six tries between them, combined when Ah Kuoi, standing off a ruck, slipped an inside pass to Sititi, who scored. A yellow card for a jersey pull to lock Tomas Lavanini proved fatal for the Highlanders. Within two minutes, Ah Kuoi crossed for a try, which he followed six minutes later after a sizzling break by fullback Damian McKenzie. He split the defence and passed to halfback Xavier Roe, who was impeded when sliding into the goalpost, but from the ruck, it was Ah Kuoi who completed the try.
The Highlanders looked to have repeated their first-half start, but the TMO ruled Casey was stopped from grounding the ball by Sititi. In a 14-point turnaround, the Chiefs got back into the Highlanders 22m area, and Roe was able to snipe around a ruck to score. A flying Adam Lennox tap penalty saw the halfback carry play deep into the Chiefs’ 22, and with the ball moving through the backline, fullback Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens scored. The Chiefs lost McKenzie to a head injury while the Highlanders lost wing Caleb Tangitau to a serious leg injury. But the Chiefs rode home on tries to replacement hooker Brodie McAlister (72 mins) and centre Kyle Brown (83 mins), the latter from an outstanding back pass by wing Kyren Taumoefolau.
Chiefs 42 (Wallace Sititi, Naitoa Ah Kuoi 2, Xavier Roe, Brodie McAlister, Kyle Brown tries; Damian McKenzie 4 con; Josh Jacomb 2 con) Highlanders 12 (Lucas Casey, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens tries; Cameron Millar con). HT: 21-7
Fijian Drua 35 NSW Waratahs 50
The NSW Waratahs started their game against the Drua in Suva as if they had decided to end their Fijian duck. Five minutes into the game, hooker Ioane Moanunu effected a perfect runaround after throwing to a lineout to find blindside wing Harry Potter in place for an inside pass that opened up his run to the goal-line for a try. Moananu was rewarded seven minutes later when crossing for a try from a lineout maul. Just before the quarter, first five-eighths Jack Bowen’s grubber kick to the line wasn’t controlled, and fullback Max Jorgensen added to the Drua’s pain with a try. A tap penalty out from the Waratahs line in the 22nd minute saw prop Mesake Doge score under the bar. It proved a momentary distraction as running backplay saw wing Sid Harvey over for another Waratahs try two minutes later. The best half of the season continued moments later when halfback Teddy Wilson’s support for a blindside break by flanker Clem Halaholo saw another try in the 28th minute. With Isikeli Rabitu sin-binned for a professional foul, the Waratahs were in again through flanker Angus Scott-Young, scoring for a half-time advantage of 7-46.
With Moananu sprinting 30m to score his second, four minutes into the half, the game was gone for the home team. The game opened up in the latter stages, and while the Drua finished with 35 points, the Waratahs entered into the freed-up play to crack the half-century and the win.
Drua 35 (Mesake Doge, Elia Canakaivata, Kitione Salawa, Tuidraki Samusamuvodre, Temo Mayanavanua tries; Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula con; Kemu Valetini 4 con) Waratahs 50 (Harry Potter, Ioane Moanunu 2, Max Jorgensen, Sid Harvey, Teddy Wilson, Angus Scott-Young, Apalosi Ranawai tries; Sid Harvey 2 con, Jack Bowen 3 con). HT: 7-36
Blues 24 Hurricanes 47
Lock Warner Dearns emphasised the impact he has had on the competitive play of the Hurricanes in 2026 when getting up to make another of his trademark chargedowns off All Blacks’ and Blues’ first five-eighths Beauden Barrett, eight minutes into the Eden Park contest. It was the first of an opening onslaught that saw second five-eighths Jordie Barrett score after a centring kick by wing Fehi Fineanganofo was kneed ahead by Barrett, taken by halfback Ereatara Enari, who, in a tackle, passed to Barrett who scored. Despite the best efforts of flankers Malachi Wrampling and Anton Segner, the Blues couldn’t respond, and after prop Pasilio Tosi corkscrewed his way over through defenders, the Blues were effectively out of the contest at 0-21 down at the half.
Hurricanes' first five-eighths Ruben Love was in complete tactical control for his side, who employed their running power onto the ball to exploit and expose the home side time and again. Wrampling did score with 30 minutes left, but the Blues' tries merely contributed to the Hurricanes responding in kind to always be well clear on the scoreboard. Enari’s 55th-minute inside pass off a scrum to wing Kini Naholo was clear evidence of the Hurricanes' dominance. That was hit home even more when Fineanganofo got the try, his 16th, to join Joe Roff and Ben Lam as the highest try scorers in a Super Rugby season. And while the Blues got tries through AJ Lam and Kurt Eklund to potentially deny a bonus point to the Hurricanes, the visitors took play to the 84th-minute to get the point back through flanker Peter Lakai’s try.
Blues 24 (Malachi Wrampling, AJ Lam, Kurt Eklund tries; Beauden Barrett con; Stephen Perofeta con) Hurricanes 47 (Warner Dearns, Jordie Barrett, Pasilio Tosi, Kini Naholo, Fehi Fineanganofo, Raymond Tuputupu, Peter Lakai tries; Ruben Love 6 con). HT: 0-21
Western Force 19 Queensland Reds 14
Five minutes into the Perth contest between the home-town Force and the Reds, the pressure was on as the west coasters whetted their appetite for another of their upset wins from a lineout out from the Reds' line. Flanker Carlo Tizzano got his hands on the ball, and the pack did the rest to drive him over for the try. But on the quarter mark, No8 Harry Wilson bunted a break in the home backline 22m out and in the resulting goal-line ruck, it was flanker Joe Brial who crossed. The Reds continued to pound the Force line but couldn’t add to the score.
Into the fourth minute of the second half, Force second five-eighths Hamish Stewart lobbed a crossfield kick intended for wing Zac Lomax, but the ball dropped back on the Force side and supporting fullback Mac Grealy got the touchdown. The Reds levelled six minutes later when wing Tim Ryan went over with room and time to spare. But with accurate tactical kicking, the Force created a chance that was capitalised on in a passing rush, with Tizzano on the left flank running onto the ball like a wing to score what proved the difference between the sides, especially after the Force blew two more scoring chances.
Force 19 (Carlo Tizzano 2, Mac Grealy tries; Max Burey 2 con) Reds 14 (Joe Brial, Tim Ryan tries; Louis Werchon 2 con). HT:7-7