A fresh looking Super Rugby introduces fan-friendly initiatives and a simplified finals system so what are the five main things we learnt from the draw?
The Blues held off a late fightback from the Western Force at Eden Park to clinch a 31-21 victory and book their place in the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final.
The Chiefs made it a clean sweep for New Zealand sides in the first round of the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman tournament with a nail-biting 20-19 victory over the Western Force in Perth.
It is do or die time in the Harvey Norman Super Rugby AU competition, as the ACT Brumbies host the Western Force in an attempt to win a second straight title.
The Western Force will play the Brumbies in the Super Rugby AU semi-final after securing a superb 30-27 comeback victory over the table-topping Reds in Perth.
Flyhalf Domingo Miotti struck a penalty deep into stoppage time as the Western Force snatched a dramatic 31-30 victory over the Waratahs in Perth on Saturday.
In a major step for Pacific Island rugby, Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Druahave been granted conditional licences to join a planned new competition next year.
The Western Force secured an unlikely 16-15 victory over the Rebels at AAMI Park on Saturday, as the Rebels were made to pay the ultimate price for their lack of killer instinct.