The Highlanders are down but not out. Having claimed the final playoff spot despite losing to the Crusaders they are on their way to Durban.

Aaron Cruden, his voice all but gone after shouting instructions to the Chiefs throughout their gritty victory over the Blues in the wet and wild conditions at Eden Park.

Don't laugh, especially on the league angle. But the weekend signalled that a New Zealand Super 15 and NRL double is on.

If experience counts for one iota in the Super 15 playoffs, the Crusaders will make inroads.

I know they haven't taken their chances at this stage in previous competitions, but I'd have to say the Waratahs are the team with the form and momentum and will be tough to beat.

They have wobbled and battled, scrambled and scraped their way to the final six without ever looking convincing and yet now they are in the playoffs, the Chiefs have the look of champions.

A good night's work led to a good night's kip for the Crusaders. They got their four-try victory and with it, the near certainty that the Sharks, who played overnight, couldn't knock them out of second place.

Much decorated hooker Keven Mealamu shows his steel on the paddock and his gentleness off it.

It's "What's wrong with the Blues?" time again. Two seasons under John Kirwan and nothing much has changed. Different animals, same zoo.

The Chiefs have kept their hopes of three consecutive Super Rugby titles alive with a win over the Blues at Eden Park tonight.

He arrived under a metaphoric cloud, left under a literal one and yet Ma'a Nonu was nothing but a little ray of sunshine in his second stint with the Blues.

Watch a replay of tonight's live blog of the Super Rugby clash between the Chiefs and the Blues from Eden Park in Auckland.

One of the cult heroes of the All Blacks' 2011 World Cup winning side is parting ways with New Zealand rugby.

Foot and ankle injuries have combined to make this a frustrating year for Francis Saili, but as the Blues' season comes to a conclusion, he need only look at how he might fit into next year's midfield equation to put a fresh perspective on things.

If it takes until their backs are against the wall for the Chiefs to find true form, then the champs are exactly where they want to be tonight.

There's surely no other Kiwi team that could take its fans this far into a post-season push and leave them hanging at the last minute on an all-Australian affair.

The first match in which Blues first-five Ihaia West plays with his short-term future secured could also be the one in which he feels the most pressure.

The equation is simple for the Blues to make the Super Rugby playoffs: win by a clear 38 points this Friday at their Eden Park fortress.

Ask his coach whether Brodie Retallick should be regarded the best lock in world rugby and Dave Rennie leaves little doubt.

If Mark Hammett wakes up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat this week it could be following a nightmare about the amount of close losses the Hurricanes have suffered.