It was another topsy turvy weekend of Super Rugby in round nine.
Missed any of the action? All the scores and highlights right here.
CRUSADERS vs HIGHLANDERS
Super Rugby champions the Crusaders have recovered from a halftime deficit for the second-straight week to thrash the Highlanders 43-17, extending their unbeaten run at home to 24 matches.
Ten points down after 12 minutes, the Crusaders ran in six tries on Friday to secure a bonus-point victory.
They stretch their lead in the New Zealand conference to 11 points over the Hurricanes who have a bye.
Starting outside backs Braydon Ennor, David Havili and Sevu Reece all crossed before replacements Mitchell Drummond and Will Jordan added two more tries. Jordan's five-pointer was his eighth of the season.
The forwards also managed to get in on the act when their pressure forced a penalty try from a five-metre scrum in the 52nd minute, one of three tries in 10 minutes after the break that turned the match decisively in the Crusaders' favour.
RESULT
Crusaders 43
Tries: Ennor, havili, Penalty, Reece, Drumond, Jordan
Cons: Mounga 3, Hunt
Pens: Mounga
Highlanders 17
Tries: Smith, Ioane
Cons: Ioane, Gatland
Pens: Ioane
REBELS vs STORMERS
A frustrated and disappointed Dave Wessels says the Rebels need an honest examination of how they allowed their intensity to drop to substandard levels if they are to regroup in time to compete with the Waratahs in next weekend's derby.
The Rebels suffered their first loss in Australia this season, going down 41-24 to the Stormers in a lacklustre showing at AAMI Stadium on Friday night.
An outfit that has taken great pride in the effort it puts into the contest - especially in the contact areas - the Rebels were outgunned by a Stormers side desperate to notch a win before heading home from their four-game Australasian tour.
RESULT
Stormers 41
Tries: Nel 2, Leyds, Augustus, de Allende
Cons: du Plessis 2, Josh Stander 3
Pens: Du Plessis, Stander
Rebels 24
Tries: Hodge, Genia, Magnay
Cons: Cooper 3
Pens: Cooper
CHIEFS vs BLUES
The Chiefs have run in five tries to extend their unbeaten run against the Blues to 15 matches after a 33-29 Super Rugby thriller in Hamilton.
The Blues, looking to put together five-straight wins for the first time since 2011, never gave up and the home side had to fight tooth and nail for Saturday's win after Ma'a Nonu had crossed for his second try in the 78th minute.
Flanker Lachlan Boshier scored two tries for the Chiefs, who also had five-pointers from scrumhalf Brad Weber, hulking winger Ataata Moeakiola and Jesse Parete as they beat New Zealand opponents for the first time this season.
A try from fullback Melani Nanai and the first from evergreen centre Nonu kept the Blues in touch before a brilliant finish in the corner in the 66th minute from winger Rieko Ioane, his eighth try of the season, set up the late drama.
RESULT
Chiefs 33
Tries: Boshier 2, Weber, Moeakiola, Parete
Cons: McKenzie 4
Blues
Tries: Nonu 2, Nanai, Ioane
Cons: Black 2, Plummer
Pens: Black
BRUMBIES vs LIONS
Brumbies flanker David Pocock will travel with the side to South Africa on Sunday after their 31-20 win over the Lions on Saturday night.
Pocock, who has been battling a calf injury, was slated to return to Super Rugby this weekend but he fell just short of being named.
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar stopped short of guaranteeing Pocock would return for next weekend's clash with the Stormers but said the star flanker would be in the mix.
"He'll be on the plane, I can't tell you whether he'll be good for next week," he said.
Read the full match report here.
RESULT
Brumbies 31
Tries: McCaffrey, Pulu, Kuridrani, Banks, Wright
Cons: Lealiifano 3
Yellow Card: Wright (5’)
Lions 20
Tries: Dyantyi, Jantjies, Mahuza
Cons: Jantjies
Pens: Jantjies
SHARKS vs JAGUARES
Centre Matias Orlando has scored a hat-trick of tries as the Jaguares stunned the Sharks with a comprehensive 51-17 Super Rugby victory at King's Park.
The Argentine side claimed back-to-back wins on their South Africa tour, and a first-ever success in Durban, to storm back into contention for top spot in the conference as they overwhelmed their hosts by seven tries to two on Saturday.
Flanker Pablo Matera scored two tries, while scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli and wing Matias Moroni also crossed over as the Jaguares proved clinical with ball in hand while also putting up a stout defensive effort to keep their hosts at bay.
The Sharks crushed the Lions last weekend at Ellis Park, but their inconsistency showed again as they were always second best, scoring only the two tries via lock Hyron Andrews and replacement back Aphelele Fassi.
RESULT
Sharks 17
Tries: Andrews, Fassi
Cons: du Preez, Bosch
Pens: du Preez
Jaguares 51
Tries: Orlando 3, Matera 2, Cubelli, Moroni
Cons: Miotti 5
Pens: Miotti 2
BULLS vs REDS
The Reds have been left to lament what might have been after failing to treasure the ball in their 32-17 loss to the Bulls in Pretoria.
Striving for their first win in South Africa since 2015, the Reds came up against a wounded Bulls outfit determined to rebound from a nail-biting home loss to the Jaguares.
And while they opened the scoring through an early penalty goal, there was little other reward for the Reds in the opening half, with the Bulls controlling possession and field position.
RESULT
Bulls 32
Tries: Gqoboka, van Staden, Pollard, Liebenberg, Stighling
Cons: Pollard 2
Pens: Pollard
Reds
Tries: Kerevi 2
Cons: Hegarty 2
Pens: Hegarty
