Those five competition points without Julian Savea, Ardie Savea, Victor Vito, Cory Jane and Chris Eves - left out after they missed a curfew in South Africa - were extremely timely. It kept them in touch on 36 points, which, given the vagaries of the conference system, puts them in seventh place.
The four conference winners make the quarter-finals, along with the next best three Australasian teams and one South African side.
And, while the naughty quintet weren't included in the match-day squad on Saturday, that didn't mean they had the day off. Instead, they were run ragged by trainer Davie Gray.
"That was probably worth three games, so they won't be short of a gallop," said coach Chris Boyd.
"It's where the trainer has a licence to kill. Basically they run and then they work and then they run and then they work and they run and they work, and it's relentless."
The Blues, thrashed 43-5 by the Lions in Johannesburg, are all but out of the playoffs frame with 25 points. A maximum of four New Zealand teams can make the playoffs.
One of the most significant fixtures of the season is looming in Suva, Fiji, where the Chiefs play the Crusaders on July 1.
What next for big four?
• Crusaders (37 pts, 1st overall) v Waratahs (30 pts, 4th overall), Christchurch, Friday
• Chiefs (37 pts, 5th overall) v Rebels (23 pts, 12th overall), Hamilton, Saturday
• Highlanders (37 pts, 6th overall) bye
• Hurricanes (36 pts, 7th overall) bye