Highlanders cemented a place in the Super Rugby quarter-finals with a 39-3 thumping of Fijian Drua on Sunday, leaving four teams to fight for the last playoff berth.
Tim Ryan's stocks have soared to historic heights and the Queensland Reds hit top gear in a 46-point thumping to all but end the Western Force's Super Rugby Pacific season.
The Crusaders have kept their Super Rugby Pacific playoff chances alive with the upset of the season, the defending champions beating the Auckland-based Blues 29-27.
The Western Force have all but ended the NSW Waratahs' finals hopes and heaped more pressure on under-fire coach Darren Coleman with a 27-7 victory at HBF Park.
The ACT Brumbies have secured a Super Rugby Pacific home play-off final after a last-minute penalty try ensured a gutsy 31-24 win over the Crusaders at GIO Stadium in Canberra.
The Wellington-based Hurricanes have returned to the top of the table in Super Rugby Pacific, beating Moana Pasifika 32-24 in a match that was a field day for front-rowers.
Western Force flyhalf Ben Donaldson has scored 23 points on the back of a perfect kicking display to lift his side to a crushing 48-10 win over Fijian Drua in Perth.
The benchmark Brumbies have cemented their place in the Super Rugby Pacific top four and likely ended the NSW Waratahs' finals hopes with a water-logged 29-21 derby win in Sydney.