Highlanders

Led by an outstanding performance from lock Jackson Hemopo, the visitors pack laid the platform for their side to run in eight tries in Tokyo on Friday night (NZ time).

The Highlanders forwards obliterated the Sunwolves' scrum at will, even after they had replaced their entire front row, and dominated the contact area to force errors before moving back into play-off contention in fifth place overall on 23 points.

The result also lifted the Highlanders past the Blues into third in the New Zealand conference.

Melbourne playmaker Quade Cooper worked his magic to help the Rebels maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

In a heart-stopping finish, the Highlanders looked for a match winner in the 78th minute as flanker Shannon Frizell tried to plant the ball down over the line, but the Television Match Official (TMO) ruled he had dropped it.

The Rebels set up the victory with four classy tries, all scored by their backs.

Cooper showed off his array of skills to set up two of those as he settled into his new AAMI Park home.

The number out to report on the Chiefs' game against the Highlanders was higher than usual - this time last year there would have been about three of us.

But it's a World Cup year so that number tripled last night - and we got a decent idea of what this season will be like for the All Blacks who will go to the cup games, thanks to the man with the fastest mouth in rugby.

With former All Black Lima Sopoaga moving to English side Wasps, the Highlanders have brought Banks back to run the cutter alongside young playmakers Otago's Josh Ioane and North Harbour's Bryn Gatland.

Banks will play for the Highlanders an agreement was finalised with his Japanese side NTT Docomo and the Highlanders.

The final will be on 6 July.

It also means Super Rugby will run uninterrupted for 21 weeks and there will be a uniform start to the tournament with a full schedule of seven matches in round one.

Previously the South African and Australian sides have kicked off the competition a week earlier than the New Zealand teams.

The Blues will host the Crusaders in their opening game and the Hurricanes are away to the Waratahs. Both those matches are on Saturday 16 February.

The Highlanders leapfrogged the Chiefs into third in the New Zealand conference and up to 40 points on the table, five behind the second-placed Hurricanes and 10 adrift of the competition-leading Crusaders.

It was the second successive loss for the Hurricanes, who were humiliated by the Crusaders in atrocious conditions last week in Christchurch, after they had won their previous 10 games.

The hosts scored five tries to two in a dominant performance, notching the biggest win in their rivalry and the second-largest over any New Zealand side.

Fullback Curwin Bosch and second five-eighth Andre Esterhuizen led a compelling display on attack for the Sharks, who also strangled the Highlanders at the breakdown.

The home side held sway at scrum time, exacerbated by a Kings Park turf which broke up badly.

Their fourth win from 10 was comfortably their best and lifts the Sharks just inside the top eight with six games to play.

His long range penalty crept over for a dramatic last gasp win in a game where the Highlanders were nine points ahead going into the last 20 minutes but had to come from behind in the closing stages to snatch victory.

Sopoaga did not miss with any of his kicks as he contributed 19 points.

"It could have gone either way in an awesome match, it's a tough place to play. We knew it would come down to the wire and we were lucky to take those key moments," said Highlanders captain Ben Smith.

The Highlanders raced out to a 12-nil lead in the opening minutes of the game but the home side pulled the deficit back to 12-11 before the Highlanders edged out to a 20-11 halftime lead.

The second half though was dominated by the Highlanders running in six tries in all with loose forward Shannon Frizell scoring a hatrick.

The Blues have not beaten a fellow New Zealand side since they recorded a 33-31 victory over the Highlanders in the first week of the competition in 2016, a streak of 15 matches - 14 of them losses.

Wainui gave his side the lead for good after a topsy-turvy encounter on the scoreboard even though the home side had dominated much of the possession and territory.

Fullback Solomon Alaimalo and hooker Nathan Harris had scored either side of half time to give the home side a 20-7 lead only for the visitors to come storming back with tries to Tevita Li and Sio Tomkinson and take a two-point lead with about 20 minutes remaining.