Rugby: Sharks, not elephants, main subject in Hurricanes dressing room

Beauden Barrett and the Hurricanes are on a roll whereas Colin Slade and the Crusaders are in must-win territory. Photo / Getty Images

The elephant in the room will be growing larger in the Hurricanes camp.

Publicly, they don't want to discuss the playoffs but as their bumper season continues to roll along, it's the burning topic of conversation outside the team.

They haven't been in the Super Rugby finals since 2009 and that drought is only one or two wins away from being broken this season.

"We are not really talking about it," Hurricanes flanker Callum Gibbins insisted. "It's a goal but we are taking this season game by game."

The Hurricanes edged the Crusaders 29-23 at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Saturday night as they extended their lead at the top of the Super Rugby standings. They've won nine from 10 in 2015. "We'll go to training on Monday, do the review of this game, take what we need from it and let it go, move on to the next one and look forward to the Sharks," Gibbins said.

Chris Boyd's Hurricanes, who will host the Sharks in the capital on Saturday, were also helped by the Chiefs being upset 16-15 by the Melbourne Rebels across the Tasman during the weekend. The Hurricanes have a five-point lead and a game in hand over the Chiefs in the New Zealand conference standings.

The home-and-away legs between those sides in the coming weeks will likely shape the make-up of who will host playoff matches.

Saturday's match was a contender for game of the year as both sides provided plenty of energy but the extra flash of the Hurricanes and their tight defence in the final 20 minutes allowed them to close out the game as they kept their composure. Four tries were also important for the Hurricanes - Beauden Barrett, Brad Shields, Reggie Goodes and Blade Thomson were the scorers - as they banked a valuable bonus point.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders are in dire straits with five wins and six losses and nearly every game from here is a must-win contest.

Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder said his ninth-placed side showed how close the competition was given they were only six points away from the league-leaders.

"There's not a lot in it in Super Rugby. You've got to be in the game and probably for us, it's taken all year to put a performance on the track that we can walk away from feeling really proud of. That was probably our best effort." It must have been a strange spot for Blackadder as he was left feeling pleased yet his team still lost.

"The effort was there, the belief was there. We just didn't get the result."

The Crusaders should also welcome back flanker Richie McCaw for Friday's home outing against the Reds in Christchurch after he missed the match with the Hurricanes due to concussion. "He's looking pretty good, so [it's] more than likely that he will be [available]," Blackadder said.