The Hurricanes will face the Chiefs without their skipper in tonight's sudden-death clash.

Tom Latham has followed in his dad Rod’s footsteps and scored a test century against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Mark Hunt says he’s unlikely to ever fight in the UFC again as the fallout from Brock Lesnar’s positive doping test continues. The first of the Super Rugby semi-finals takes place in Wellington tonight with the Hurricanes hosting the Chiefs before the Highlanders take on the Lions tomorrow morning in Johannesburg.

A Super Rugby semifinal needs no supplementary narratives. Yet, tonight in Wellington, it will be difficult to ignore the battle brewing for the All Blacks' No10 jersey.

The Hurricanes have shown they can win in several ways since the June international window.

The Hurricanes have lost all six of their playoff games against fellow Kiwi teams. Not a good omen heading into tomorrow's semifinal with the Chiefs

It will ultimately be up to Dane Coles to make the final call on whether he plays in the semifinal.

Put aside, for a moment, the Dane Coles saga. The Hurricanes' skipper and hooker has firmed his chances of playing after running

Hurricanes captain Dane Coles will be given until match day to prove his fitness for Saturday's Super Rugby semifinal against the Chiefs at Westpac Stadium.

Marshall's preparation will be uncomplicated, as the Hurricanes put the finishing touches on their plan to beat the Chiefs.

COMMENT: Before the Hurricanes quarter-final over the Sharks, I wrote that there was a question mark about the NZ conference leaders' mentality.

The stakes could hardly be higher but both the Hurricanes and the Chiefs might be missing their inspirational skippers for Saturday night's semifinal.

A suspected rib injury to skipper Dane Coles has cast a shadow over the Hurricanes six-try 41-0 Super Rugby quarter-final win over the Sharks in Wellington.

All the action from the Hurricanes' thrashing of the Sharks in the Super Rugby playoffs.

After shutting out the Sharks, that tantalising question must be again asked: is this at last the Hurricanes' year?

There's no questioning the Hurricanes' quality, writes Justin Marshall. Tonight against the Sharks is about learning the lessons of their past.

The Hurricanes will start the biggest game of their season without the biggest name in their team.

All Blacks winger Julian Savea has been dropped to the bench for the Hurricanes quarter-final clash against the Sharks in Wellington on Saturday.

The Sharks may be rank underdogs for Saturday's Super Rugby quarter-final in Wellington, but the Hurricanes are not preparing for

Chris Boyd is not so sure that the chances of four New Zealand sides reaching the semifinals are as cut and dried as many pundits

From humble beginnings, the Hurricanes have won the NZ conference and are now in the box seat to host playoffs all the way to the Super Rugby final.

The franchise is set to make thousands after securing top place in the Super Rugby standings and a home quarterfinal.

Aviation authorities may be less than impressed with them, but the Hurricanes are happily back home with no intention of leaving for the next three weeks.

The quarter-final lineup is set in Super Rugby after the Hurricanes thrashed the Crusaders and the Highlanders overcame the Chiefs. Were those matches of test intensity? The All Blacks will release a new jersey in the coming days. How will it differ from the others? More golden point heartbreak for the Warriors after going down late to Manly in Perth.

Crusaders fans may be hurting tonight but one Christchurch man will be counting his lucky stars after winning $25,000 cash at the game.

On a night when no one knew what to expect, a bonus point record win for the Hurricanes over the Crusaders helped them clinch the NZ conference.

Relive all the action from the crunch Super Rugby clash between the Crusaders and Hurricanes.

There are enough hypothetical questions flying about over the Super Rugby travel and playoffs permutations to drive a man crazy. Hurricanes

Former Warriors league player Sam Lousi has quit the Waratahs Super Rugby franchise and signed with the Hurricanes. Lousi, who was

Chris Boyd says James Broadhurst is back in the gym as he battles to return from a troublesome concussion.

An injury to centre Matt Proctor has forced the Hurricanes to change their midfield for their match against the Crusaders in Christchurch