The Hurricanes have done all they can to keep themselves in the hunt for the Super Rugby Aotearoa title after claiming a bonus-point 31-18 win over the Chiefs on Saturday night.
In front of 21,000 fans at Sky Stadium, the Hurricanes ran in five tries to two to secure their fifth-straight win and keep their faint title hopes alive.
Jason Holland's men sit one point behind the Blues and are three shy of the league-leading Crusaders, who will be crowned champions on Sunday afternoon if they beat the Highlanders in Christchurch.
"It was important for us with our fans here to nail that and get that victory, and the bonus point is cool to keep this competition alive for at least another 24 hours," says Holland.
"We felt if we played the footy that we can, we wouldn't have to worry too much about it [bonus point], and it would come. That's the way it turned out.
"It's a good Chiefs side who were desperate, so it was never a done deal. It was a funny old game, we got the job done, and the Chiefs made life pretty tough for us at the breakdown and brought a lot of line speed."
If the Crusaders do secure the title on Sunday, that means the Hurricanes' final Super Rugby Aotearoa match against the Highlanders will be a dead-rubber.
Regardless of what is on the line next Saturday at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Holland wants to end the season on a high.
"There are some guys who might be playing their last game," he says. "Whatever happens, we won't change how we prepare for the week.
"It has been a long competition but we are going down there to get a result."
The fact the Hurricanes remain in contention for the title is massive considering they lost their first two games before going on their five-game win streak.
After their poor start, Hurricanes co-captain Dane Coles said they had to do lots of reflecting, but they're a much better side as a result.
"We had a good look in the mirror and had an honesty session and lots of it was around prep and building our week," he says.
"We've gotten into some good habits to make things team first which has helped us connect. We're taking the learning and not looking ahead, and the leaders in our team have done a great job keeping the boys on their toes.
"As a franchise, we've come a long way since those first two games."
Join us for live updates of the Crusaders v Highlanders Super Rugby Aotearoa clash from 3:35pm Sunday
