Losing tonight won't be terminal for the championship ambitions of the Highlanders or Hurricanes.

Adding some intrigue to the grudge match between the Blues and Crusaders at Eden Park tomorrow night is the impending departure of halfback Bryn Hall.

A knee injury has ruled Blues loose forward Tanerau Latimer out of the team to play the Crusaders at Eden Park.

Charlie Ngatai has picked exactly the wrong time to find himself caught up in the fog of concussion.

Cory Jane, Victor Vito, Chris Eves and Julian and Ardie Savea return for the Hurricanes this week.

Sam Whitelock has been scratched from the Crusaders' team to play the Blues on Saturday.

The attack showed signs of revival and the scrum was as strong as it's been all season but the Chiefs' win over the Rebels also brought a hefty dose of bad news.

In holding on to beat the Force in Perth, the Blues won two matches on their South African road trip for the first time in eight years.

COMMENT: It seems inevitable Super Rugby will expand again but I wonder where the extra teams will come from and what it will do to the game in NZ at provincial level.

Somehow the Blues managed to hang on to beat the Force and keep their faintest playoff hopes alive.

The Chiefs are back on top after riding an explosive first half to a bonus-point victory over the Rebels in Hamilton.

The Queensland Reds are breathing a sigh of relief after escaping potential Super Rugby embarrassment against the Sunwolves.

If there was an easy answer to why the Blues have suffered a decade of mediocrity, it would most likely have been found.

These days Auckland is more like a graveyard for potential All Blacks. They seem to do better in any other franchise.

Most social golfers know about the Mulligan rule - where once in the round, a duffed drive can be retaken without penalty.

The Waratahs had little response to a Crusaders team determined to right the wrongs of their loss in Dunedin.

Live updates of the Super Rugby clash between the Crusaders and the Waratahs.

The Blues believe they're on track to take the hard edge they have developed in training this week on to the Nib Stadium pitch against the Force on Saturday.

Sonny Bill Williams' gracious act following the All Blacks Rugby World Cup win over Australia has been recognised.

COMMENT: You have to wonder how Smith finds the time to be so happy for everyone else, writes Scotty Stevenson.

For the first time in the brief history of the NZ Form Team of the Week, one game has provided all fifteen players.