Sam Whitelock (Crusaders)
Havili wasn't the only Crusader who enjoyed a bit of ball in hand in Melbourne. Sam Whitelock also made his presence well and truly known in the wide channels, charging at some smaller men with unstoppable force. The lock played a key role in two of his team's tries, making one burst to set up Manasa Mataele's opener before handing off for Jed Brown to cross. Typically exemplary in his core duties - winning six lineouts and tackling well - captaincy is clearly sitting well with Whitelock, who is playing at a level that must be worrisome for the Lions second-rowers as they prepare to take their seat on the plane.
Coach killer
Piers Francis (Blues)
With the Blues seeking to snap an 11-game losing streak against the Chiefs, searching for just their second win from their last 22 New Zealand derbies, coach Tana Umaga's eyes must have lit up when referee Nick Briant whistled for a 73rd-minute penalty in their favour. They had, with the help of the inclement conditions at Eden Park, battled for much of the match to nullify their highly-rated opponents and, with the scores level, now had a chance to record a rare triumph. Up stepped Piers Francis, facing a handy angle and easily within range. And with one wayward swing of his right boot, there went the Blues' hopes.
Fab Four
1. Crusaders
41-19 win over Rebels
1st in NZC, 1st overall
Fab Four is getting pretty tired of having the Crusaders in top spot week after week. Nothing against the red-and-blacks, it's just a bit boring. Which is really a compliment that can be paid to all the best sides in any sport - all their repetitive winning becomes, for the neutral, rather dull. Saturday night's work against the Rebels, for example, was predictable in the extreme. Another six tries, another decent defensive effort, another bonus-point win. Ho hum.
2. Hurricanes
34-20 win over Bulls
2nd in NZC, 5th overall
Unlike their Kiwi counterparts, a scheduling quirk meant this weekend's win over the Bulls was the Hurricanes' only match in the Republic this season. And that's rather fortunate for the defending champs, given the amount of adversity they had to overcome to emerge triumphant from their brief trip. There were battles with jet lag and altitude, there was the late withdrawal of Beauden Barrett, and there were injuries to Ardie Savea, Mark Abbott and Wes Goosen. Five points well earned.
3. Highlanders
44-28 win over Waratahs
3rd in NZC, 6th overall
At last. After nine weeks of winning, the Highlanders have finally managed to leapfrog one of their compatriots, going ahead of the Chiefs on points differential. And now, in the last week of Super Rugby before the competition takes a month-long hiatus, we get a fitting finale: the Crusaders and their 13-match winning streak taking on the Highlanders and their nine-game run on Saturday afternoon in Christchurch. It might just be the biggest southern derby since the 2002 semifinal.
4. Cheetahs
47-7 win over Sunwolves
2nd in SAC1, 15th overall
Good luck trying to bet on the margin of a Cheetahs-Sunwolves match. The South African side have won all four meetings between the teams but those victories have come with varying degrees of comfort: one point, 75 points, seven points, 40 points. This victory was the Cheetahs' third of the season, good enough to lift them to the lofty heights of second in the South Africa 1 conference. That's what happens when three-quarters of the conference is in the competition's bottom four overall.
