The rise of Simon Hickey from the Blues' wider training group to starting No 10 makes you realise things can change quickly in professional rugby.

Steven Luatua, a standout for the Blues last year but unable to break into the starting line-up this season, is set to miss the All Blacks cut when the final squad is named in Auckland tomorrow.

The Chiefs have designs of far greater significance than merely winning the match when they meet the Waratahs this afternoon.

Back rower Jake Schatz's second try of the night two minutes after the fulltime siren gave Queensland a 38-31 Super Rugby win over the Highlanders after the Reds nearly blew a 21-point halftime lead.

It doesn't take much to leave Matt Proctor speechless. The Hurricanes fullback is a reserved young man and one of the things he and his coach Mark Hammett acknowledge he has to improve is his communication skills.

Thought worthy of only a couple of games for the Hurricanes development team this season, Ihaia West could help the Blues pose a few problems against the franchise that didn't want him.

Ihaia West could be the next roll of the dice for the Blues as they seek a first five-eighths with the attacking instincts to ignite their backline.

The competition to wear the No10 jersey for the All Blacks against England next month is wide open after Hurricane Beauden Barrett engineered a demolition of the Chiefs.

The Saturday evening clash between the Highlanders and Crusaders was a perfect showcase of NZ rugby, writes Justin Marshall. It showed the excitement and skill levels of Super Rugby at its best.

Apart from their slip-up to the Blues at Eden Park at the start, winning away this season hasn't been an issue for the Crusaders.

Dave Rennie described the Chiefs as "a distant third" in their heavy defeat against the Hurricanes but there was one bright spot amid the gloom.

Super Rugby's dreaded June hiatus won't be a thing of the past as plans to shift the international window to July have been rejected by the Six Nations.

Ihaia West may have done enough against the Sharks to be handed his first start for the Blues this week when they take on the Hurricanes.

He was sporting four stitches after the game but referee Glen "Jacko" Jackson's shiner had nothing to do with contentious calls in last night's Super 15 nailbiter.

Every nut-job and psycho in the Southern Hemisphere will have rejoiced having seen that Super Rugby values hamstrings more than it does heads.