"He's just in great form," Chiefs coach Dave Rennie said of Elliot. "I think every week we talk about how well he's playing."
Another hooker who has been steadily improving this season is Crusader Codie Taylor, who is one of the more dominant Kiwis on attack. He has made four clean breaks, the most among New Zealand rakes, and averages 4.48m per carry, which ranks him third.
Taylor's lineout throwing operates at a respectable 85 per cent; the same figure as Coles.
The Plum job
Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree has improved their forward pack this year and deep into the Super Rugby season the numbers are stacking up.
The Hurricanes operate their scrum at 95 per cent - the best rate in the competition - and they lose the fewest scrums on average per game. They also have a 95 per cent success rate at ruck time, which is only 1 per cent behind the Force, who, somewhat surprisingly, lead the league in that aspect of the game despite sitting last on the ladder.
The Hurricanes also make the most tackles per game at 134.8 as they often allow their opponents to win the territory battle.
You have to wonder if all that defensive work will tire the Hurricanes out at the back end of the season.