Rameka Pohipi dived over in the corner three minutes after the fulltime siren to give the Chiefs a thrilling 24-21 upset win over 12-times champions the Crusaders in Super Rugby Pacific.
The stakes keep getting higher in Super Rugby Pacific with round four set to bring more grudge matches, pivotal clashes, and the start of new rivalries.
All Blacks winger Sevu Reece scored two first-half tries and fullback Will Jordan added a match-winner in the second half as the Crusaders beat the Highlanders 34-19 in their Super Rugby Pacific clash in Dunedin.
After a pulsating opening round which began with the debut of Fijian Drua in Super Rugby and ended with a last gasp win by the Brumbies over the Force, Super Rugby Pacific returns on Friday night with a huge clash between South Island rivals the Crusaders and Highlanders in Dunedin.
All Black David Havili is settled playing second five-eighths and is concentrating his efforts there ahead of the Crusaders' game with the Highlanders in Super Rugby Pacific in Dunedin on Friday.
Absorbing some dynamic play thrown at them by the Hurricanes, the Crusaders turned the pressure around to claim a 42-32 opening-round win in Super Rugby Pacific.
Adapting to the Crusaders' training rhythm and their speed of play has been a significant difference for Argentine Test star Pablo Matera as the side heads into their opening Super Rugby Pacific game against the Hurricanes in Dunedin on Saturday.
High-speed, physical rugby is what the Crusaders are expecting when they take on the Hurricanes in their Super Rugby Pacific opening game in Dunedin on Saturday.
No team is better at setting itself a goal and achieving it, and after missing out on a double-title season last year, the Crusaders will be looking to set the record straight in 2022.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has made the decision to relocate the six New Zealand-based Super Rugby Pacific squads to Queenstown to mitigate against the risk of COVID-19 side-lining any of the teams.