The Hurricanes' four-point win over Queensland on Friday has cast an entirely new light on the Super Rugby Pacific finals picture.
A win would've seen the Reds put one hand on a fourth place finish and inside running to the all-important finals second chance. Instead, it's the Hurricanes with their noses in front after a brilliant 31-27 win at Suncorp Stadium
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Here's what we learned from Reds - Hurricanes:
Make no mistake, this wasn't a poor Reds performance by any stretch.
Queensland were more than in this contest and led with just 14 minutes to play before Fehi Fineanganofo's second try.
Rather, it was a showcase of just how good the Hurricanes can be at their best.
Cam Roigard was outstanding at halfback - his 36th minute chip and regather try was a thing of beauty - while Billy Proctor, Fineanganofo and Du'Plessis Kirifi all excelled in Brisbane.
The Hurricanes' time and game management in the final 10 minutes was also superb, strangling life out of the Reds and taking a vocal 18,000-strong crowd out of the equation.
You're living under a rock if you haven't already heard the hype around this Hurricanes outside centre.
Proctor, 26, made his Test debut for New Zealand against Fiji last year and has been earmarked as the long-term All Black #13.
Performances like Friday night against the Reds are exactly why he's so highly touted - nine tackle busts, 50 post-contact metres, two line breaks, two offloads, a turnover and a try assist for Fineanganofo.
Proctor's been at the heart and soul of the Hurricanes mid-season revival and will be one for all Super Rugby Pacific rivals to watch as the finals race reaches boiling point.
It's hard to believe just how lop-sided the Reds-Hurricanes ledger has become.
The 'Canes have now won 14 of their last 15 meetings, including their last six in a row on Australian soil.
The last time a Queensland side tasted victory against the Wellingtonians came back in 2013 - an 18-12 win featuring the likes of Quade Cooper and Will Genia.
Friday marked yet another near miss in the Reds' quest to shake this Hurricanes hoodoo following a Super Point loss last year in Melbourne.
The headline act for this clash was supposed to be Fraser McReight vs Du'Plessis Kirifi before Joe Brial stepped up.
There's no denying the openside dual was something special - Kirifi's 15 tackles, two steals and four tackle busts just shaded McReight's 12 tackles, two steals and higher carry rate - but the backrow story was undoubtedly Queensland's blindside flanker.
Brial, 23, has gone from strength to strength as Liam Wright's long-term replacement in the #6 jersey and produced his best performance to date on Friday, complete with a solo storming try.
Three tackle busts, 10 carries, a line break and a pilfer didn't hurt either with skipper Tate McDermott making special note of Brial's rise in 2025 during his post-game interview with Stan Sport.
We've already seen a glimpse of Brial in gold - he featured during last year's Australia XV tour - and backrow pundits should be licking their lips at the big man's re-signing with Queensland through 2026.
The Hurricanes' 31-27 result - and Queensland's losing bonus point - sets the pair up for mouth-watering Round 16 home clashes with two unpredictable rivals
As it stands, the 'Canes sit fourth (34, +54) on the SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific ladder with the Reds (33, +9) in hot pursuit.
Barring a Moana Pasifika upset over the Chiefs on Saturday May 24, fourth and fifth are where both the Hurricanes and Reds will stay heading into their final regular season fixtures against Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua next week.
Though it's unlikely either side will miss finals, it's still possible should other results fall against them - and we all know what Moana and the Drua are capable of.
For Queensland, it could well be a case of win or bust on Saturday May 31 at 7:35pm - welcome to finals a week early.
