Melbourne's Super Rugby Pacific clash with the Blues has ended in misery, suffering a crushing 54-17 defeat as well as losing three key players to injury.
Winger Salesi Rayasi has scored two tries for the Hurricanes in their 29-14 Super Rugby Pacific win over the Highlanders to take them joint-top with the Chiefs.
Overlooked halfback Tate McDermott fired his best shots but adversary Nic White had the last laugh as the ACT Brumbies picked apart the Queensland Reds for their first win in Brisbane for eight years.
The Crusaders rallied from 21-17 down at halftime to beat last-placed Moana Pasifika 38-21 in a seventh-round match in Super Rugby Pacific in Christchurch.
With his future confirmed at the Highlanders at least until 2026, Ethan de Groot faces one of his scrum tests of the season when going up against All Blacks teammate Tyrel Lomax when playing the Hurricanes in their Super Rugby Pacific game in Dunedin on Saturday.
The Queensland Reds and ACT Brumbies don't have to look far for motivation as they prepare to add another chapter to their storied history at Suncorp Stadium on Friday.
Western Force were left to rue a poor first half after falling just short against the Hurricanes, with the Super Rugby Pacific heavyweights taking a 45-42 win in Palmerston North on Sunday.
A 77th-minute Corey Toole try has allowed the Brumbies to extend their streak against the NSW Waratahs to 11 games after stealing a come-from-behind 40-36 Super Rugby Pacific victory.
Winger Emoni Narawa has scored two first-half tries as the Chiefs extended their winning start to the Super Rugby Pacific season to six matches with a 20-13 win over the Blues.
The depleted Crusaders have made it 12 straight wins over the Queensland Reds, who are again counting the costs of unforced errors in a second-straight Super Rugby Pacific loss.
The Dunedin, New Zealand-based Highlanders have dominated the second half after a tight and high-scoring first half to beat Moana Pasifika 45-17 in a sixth-round match in Super Rugby Pacific.
The action steps up another notch in round six with the Chiefs putting their unbeaten record on the line against the Blues in Hamilton on Saturday night and plenty of other pulsating encounters across the weekend.
Time spent on stoppages in Super Rugby Pacific has been dramatically reduced, with the introduction of a raft of law variations inspiring a more fluid and entertaining spectacle for fans in 2023.
Improvements in their injury list, and their lineout performance against the Fijian Drua at the weekend, have boosted the Highlanders ahead of their game with Moana Pasifika on Friday in Auckland.
Banking a 30–17 win over the Force, the Blues immediately turned their thoughts to their round six DHL Super Rugby Pacific game against the competition-leading Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday.