The Chiefs have suffered a serious double blow before tomorrow night's showdown with the Hurricanes in Wellington.

The experimental phase is over and the results are in - Damian McKenzie is set to be the Chiefs' first five for the rest of the campaign.

He is repeatedly touted as the All Blacks' third hooking option but Nathan Harris first must focus on getting back on the field.

It has taken until the 14th round of the season but the top two teams in Super Rugby are finally about to do battle.

The good news for the Chiefs is they have a fortnight to rectify what went wrong against the Rebels before they face the biggest game of the season.

The Chiefs' struggles against Australian opposition were exemplified by a potentially damaging defeat against the Rebels tonight.

The Chiefs will be frustrated by their game which frayed at the edges with some uncharacteristic indiscretions in Melbourne.

Brad Weber will tonight wear the Chiefs No 9 jersey for the sixth time in seven games, having seemingly emerged triumphant in a head-to-head battle with Augustine Pulu.

Marty McKenzie hopes he can hang on to the Chiefs' No10 jersey - then have little brother Damian wash it for him.

For the coach of a table-topping team, Dave Rennie cut a rather glum figure on Friday night.

As the Blues board consider who will coach the team next year - and with half this season gone, they must be - Wayne Smith has to be close to the top of their list.

If the Blues are on the hunt for a new coach, which surely they are, their silence on the matter is potentially closing the door on the best possible candidates.

A week that began with Aaron Cruden being ruled out for the rest of the season ended in much more positive fashion for the Chiefs.

After spending the season in the shadow of his younger brother, Marty McKenzie has earned the opening opportunity to fill Aaron Cruden's boots.

Milestone man Pek Cowan hopes the Western Force will break their eight-match losing streak when they play the Chiefs in Hamilton.

Four years after suffering heartbreak at the final hurdle, Aaron Cruden's World Cup hopes have been dashed in equally unfortunate circumstances.

Aaron Cruden's season-ending injury is a dreadful blow for his ambitions, but we can appreciate the depth of our five-eighths talent, writes Wynn Gray.

Step up Damian McKenzie. The question has always been when, not if, he'd be an All Black and given events of recent months, the answer might be 2016.

For the first three years of Dave Rennie's reign at the Chiefs, clashes with the Crusaders conformed to a certain pattern.

The Chiefs easily recovered from the first-half loss of Aaron Cruden to secure a memorable double over the Crusaders in Christchurch tonight.

Relive all the action from the Super Rugby clash between the Crusaders and the Chiefs at AMI Stadium in Christchurch.

Something's just not right with the Crusaders. They tinker with their combinations, often swapping test men for test men but progress is marginal.

Aaron Cruden will come up against a pair of mates and rivals when the Chiefs visit the Crusaders.

The last time Sonny Bill Williams and Charlie Ngatai started together in midfield, the Chiefs produced their attacking performance of the season.

Hika Elliot is one man who can empathise with the life-changing decision made by Ben Afeaki to quit rugby.

Chiefs prop Ben Afeaki has retired from all rugby due to concerns about his long term health. Afeaki suffered concussion in February 2014 during an Super Rugby match against the Crusaders. He was cleared to resume training as part of a graduated return to play plan.