It was another big weekend of Super Rugby, with some returns to earth and surprise victories across the weekend.
We've got you covered with all the highlights and details of every match in round seven.
Chiefs vs Highlanders
Damian McKenzie engineered two key tries, one on either side of half-time, to set up a 27-22 win for the Waikato Chiefs over the Otago Highlanders in a tight Super Rugby clash in Hamilton on Friday.
The lead changed five times with both sides scoring three tries.
For the Chiefs, back home after thrashing the Sunwolves in Tokyo, it improved their record to four wins from five matches while the Highlanders suffered their second loss after falling to the Wellington Hurricanes last weekend.
RESULT
Chiefs 27
Tries: Alaimalo, Harris, Wainui
Cons: McKenzie 3
Pens: McKenzie 2
Highlanders 22
Tries: Naholo, Li, Tomkinson
Cons: A. Smith 2
Pens: A. Smith
Rebels vs Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have ripped the collective heart out of the Rebels, scoring 42 unanswered points to keep the trans-Tasman losing streak alive with a brilliant 50-19 win.
While the Rebels have played some breathtaking rugby to start the season, they entered this match with one question mark hanging over their head.
Could they beat a New Zealand opponent?
RESULT
Rebels 19
Tries: Philip
Cons: Debreczeni
Pens: Debreczeni 4
Hurricanes 50
Tries: Lam 4, B Barrett, Evans, Laumape
Cons: B Barrett 3
Pens: B Barrett 3
Blues vs Sharks
The Sharks shrugged off a second-half fightback from the Blues to grab a 63-40 win in a turbo-charged Super Rugby match at Eden Park.
Coming off the bye, the Blues were comprehensively outplayed on Saturday, with poor tackling and an inability to secure quality ball allowing the Sharks to open out a 26-7 halftime lead.
The Aucklanders hit back in the second spell with three tries in the space of eight minutes but could find no answer to a masterful display from Sharks fly-half Robert du Preez.
The 24-year-old playmaker kicked flawlessly, nailing seven penalties and six conversions as well as scoring a try of his own to total 38 points for the match.
RESULT
Blues 40
Tries: Collins, Ioane, Tuipulotu, Perofeta, Ioane, Moala
Cons: Perofeta 4, Gatland
Sharks 63
Tries: Botha, du Preez 2, Mtembu, Van Wyk, Bosch
Cons: du Preez 6
Pens: du Preez 7
Brumbies vs Waratahs
The Waratahs will leave Canberra with a critical 24-17 victory over the Brumbies but a major injury headache, after Israel Folau failed to finish the game.
Folau went off with a hamstring injury just four minutes into the Canberra clash, in a major blow for the Waratahs, who have exploited Folau’s aerial skills in impressive fashion in recent weeks.
The superstar back could miss 3-4 weeks with the injury and any absence would be a setback for the Waratahs, who face the Sunwolves, Reds and Lions in the next three weeks.
RESULT
Brumbies 17
Tries: Taliauli
Pens: Hawera 3
Waratahs 24
Tries: Naiyaravoro 2
Cons: Foley
Pens: Foley 4
Bulls vs Stormers
Veteran hooker Adriaan Strauss scored a hat-trick of tries as the Bulls outmuscled an ill-disciplined Stormers team to seal a 33-23 victory in the South African Super Rugby derby at Loftus Stadium.
The Bulls snapped a four-game losing streak as Strauss led from the front in what was a South African record 149th appearance in the Southern Hemisphere club championship for the former Springboks captain.
Winger John-Ben Kotze and centre Jesse Kriel also crossed the line for the home side, while the Stormers, who played for 20 minutes with 14 players, scored through lock Jan de Klerk, centre Damian de Allende and flank Siya Kolisi.
RESULT
Bulls 33
Tries: Strauss 3
Cons: Pollard 4
Stormers 23
Tries: de Klerk, de Allenda, Kolisi
Cons: Willemse
Pens: Willemse 2
Lions vs Crusaders
Defending champions the Crusaders scored two tries within three minutes to defeat Golden Lions 14-8 in Johannesburg Sunday in a repeat of the 2017 Super Rugby final.
It was the match with the fewest points in the competition this season, but also one of the most gripping as two southern hemisphere rugby heavyweights slugged it out.
After trailing 5-0 by half-time at Ellis Park, the New Zealanders won the match through tries in quick succession by skipper Sam Whitelock and Jack Goodhue.
The lock and centre struck after 50 and 53 minutes and Mitchell Hunt converted both before a small Easter holiday crowd in the South African financial capital.
It was the fourth win in six outings for record eight-time champions Crusaders and took them joint top of the New Zealand conference with Wellington Hurricanes.
RESULT
Lions 8
Tries: Tambwe
Pens: Jantjies
Crusaders 14
Tries: Goodhue
Cons: Whitelock
Pens: Hunt 2
