Crusaders

So, could the Suva-born Crusader play for them after his current contract with the Christchurch-based franchise expires at the end of the year?

Mataele is adamant he wants to remain at the Crusaders for a sixth season, although he realises there’s no guarantee he’s offered another contract, and knows all too well how quickly plans can change after suffering serious knee and pectoral injuries the past two years.

Last night's dramatic win over the Hurricanes in Hamilton leaves the Chiefs second in the competition standings - three points behind the defending champion Crusaders and five points ahead of the Blues.

The Chiefs are looking over their shoulders at the Blues, who face the Crusaders in Christchurch on ANZAC Day.

The Crusaders can secure a home final with victory, but if the Blues win their final round match against the Chiefs at Eden Park will become a virtual semi-final.

Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan admits he'll be backing the reigning champions tomorrow.

Both teams won golden point matches last week, but last night it was the kicking of Damian McKenzie - both tactically and from the tee - which proved decisive.

He nailed four penalties and two conversions in a faultless performance to edge the Chiefs ahead in a see-sawing second half.

The Crusaders had started strongly, scoring after seven minutes as they built phases and closed in on the line with strong running through the midfield.

Farid Mohammed, Digicel Fiji CEO, said; “We are delighted to be able to organise the free live screening of the highly anticipated rugby clash on Sky Pacific. A big screen will be erected at Albert Park and rugby fanatics and families are invited to come and soak the live match atmosphere and enjoy Super Rugby.”

Nor does it need to be pointed out there’s a sense among punters that the chasing pack have closed the gap and the red and blacks are vulnerable.

That’s the result of a heavy loss to the Highlanders, and their narrow golden point win against the Hurricanes in Wellington on Sunday.

Five minutes of carnage in Wellington resulted in the addition of All Blacks Joe Moody and Jack Goodhue to a mounting casualty ward, also fuelling the narrative the 11-times champions aren’t the usual Crusaders.

The scores were level 17-17 at halftime and 27-27 after 80 minutes, both teams each scoring three tries.

The match then went to 10 minutes of extra time, with the win going to the first team to score.

That was the Crusaders, second five-eighth David Havili capitalising on a charge-down to sink a dropped goal after barely a minute.

Last night's game between the Chiefs and Highlanders in Dunedin also went to golden point, Damain McKenzie kicking the match-winning penalty for the visitors.

The Highlanders had dropped six players, including All Black Josh Ioane, for the match after they breached team protocols last weekend.

Sione Misiloi, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Marino Mikaele-Tu'u, Teariki Ben-Nicholas and Patelesio Tomkinson joined fullback Ioane on the sidelines.

The win came after last week's 30-19 loss to the Hurricanes, and means the Highlanders move off the bottom of the standings and into third place with only their second win so far this season.

With exceptional top-end pace, a sidestep to rival the greats and what seemed like a permanent smile painted on his face, it was hard to find fault with the flying Fijian – and the man who eventually graced the cover of revered video game Rugby 2005.

Despite all his obvious up-sides, however, there were times when the rocket man struggled for minutes with the Blues. In those early days, including in 2003 when the Blues last won a Super Rugby title, the Auckland-based side had outrageous depth in the outside backs.

Mo'unga scored 28 points - a try, four conversions and five penalties - with Jack Goodhue, Codie Taylor and Sevu Reece also crossing for the Crusaders.

A big crowd had turned out at Eden Park hoping to see the home side snap a 12-match losing streak against the Crusaders going back to 2014, but the reigning champions took their chances clinically to extend their lead at the top of the standings.

Encounters between the powerhouses were highlights of the early days of professional rugby but the fixture lost its lustre as the Blues struggled and the Crusaders thrived.

The Blues have been revived after a decade in the doldrums, however, and Leon MacDonald's side are viewed by many as the only team that can prevent the south islanders from taking a fifth successive Super Rugby title.