Watch a replay of tonight's live blog of the Super Rugby match between the Blues and the Highlanders from Eden Park.

The second five-eighth has slipped quietly under the radar to bring up his 50th game against the Blues tonight.

The Highlanders are not getting ahead of themselves before playing the Blues in Auckland tomorrow night.

The Highlanders have scotched suggestions that Brad Thorn could make a return to their injury hit side for Friday night’s clash against the Blues.

Whichever way you look at it, the Blues are limping towards one of the worst seasons in their history.

The death of Jerry Collins was keenly felt in New Zealand last night - especially in Napier where his former Hurricanes had the difficult task of playing after the news broke.

A dark day for the franchise ended on a bright note when the Hurricanes clinched top spot for the first time in Super Rugby history.

Into the spotlight for the Highlanders and exit stage left.

They were handed their worst defeat of the season and held tryless for the first time in 25 games - but the Chiefs' finals fate remains firmly in their control.

On a night that hearkened back to the franchise's formative years, the Highlanders created a little slice of history and remained right in the hunt for another.

With three rounds to go in Super Rugby, the Herald checks out the remaining contenders and rates their title chances.

What about them Highlanders, eh? They danced out to a handy halftime lead and unlike the previous week did not surrender that advantage against the Cheetahs.

Have the Highlanders fallen off the radar? Are they that unfashionable? They started this round of Super Rugby by maintaining their push for the playoffs with a great effort, writes Wynne Gray.

There is a noticeable contrast in styles among the Kiwi teams and the two sides doing really well are the ones playing traditional New Zealand rugby.

According to those who spout the blue-and-gold mantra, the Highlanders should resume their winning methods after last week's stumble.

A penitent Bismarck du Plessis will return to the Sharks' front row for tomorrow's match against the Highlanders in Dunedin but will not resume the captaincy.

The Highlanders' three-match winning streak came to a brutal end at the hands of the Brumbies in Canberra last night.

In sporting circles and rugby conversation, failure has become the accepted outcome for the Blues and they stayed true to that course against the Highlanders, writes Wynne Gray.

Jimmy Cowan is going back to his roots - back to Dunedin to face the team he played for more than 100 times, a team he freely admits are much better now.

Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph is completely satisfied with the condition of prop Josh Hohneck, saying that anyone who can go pig hunting and capture a boar must be all right.

Cowan, Bekhuis and Woodcock or Naholo, Fekitoa, Aaron Smith, Ash Dixon and Dan Pryor - Wynne Gray wonders, which team got the better deal?