Blues coach Leon MacDonald has allayed any long-term fears over an injury to All Blacks first-five Beauden Barrett, who left the field in a 45-26 victory over Queensland Reds.
Barrett, 31, exited early in the second half at Brisbane, as a potentially devastating blow to the All Blacks' plans for this year's Rugby World Cup in France.
Until that point, Barrett had been key to the Blues' 17-14 halftime advantage.
Starting in the No.10 jersey, Barrett scored a try, made eight runs for 62 metres, and kicked two conversions and a penalty.
A foot injury was cited as the reason for his early exit, but while an update on its severity will come, MacDonald can breathe a sigh of relief that his onfield general hasn't suffered an injury to his knees or previously troublesome Achilles.
"Beauden came off with a gash to his heel," MacDonald clarified. "He'll need some stitches in that.
"He couldn't put his boot back on, basically."
So far this season, the All Blacks have seen Sevu Reece and George Bower both ruled out of the Rugby World Cup with knee injuries, while Quinn Tupaea is doubtful, after a similar injury in late 2022 left him racing to be fit.
Meanwhile, Friday's win has boosted the Blues' hopes of a home quarter-final.
The win saw them overtake the Hurricanes - whom they face next week at Eden Park - into fourth on the ladder, just four points behind the Crusaders in second place, after their victory over Moana Pasifika.
Finishing in the top four would guarantee either the Crusaders, Brumbies, Blues or Hurricanes a home playoff.
The Chiefs are unlikely to be caught before the end of the regular season, realistically needing only one win to secure the top spot and home advantage, should they reach the decider.
The Blues failed to secure a bonus point against the Reds, which could come back to bite them further down the track, but MacDonald knows his side need to finish strong, regardless of any equation put in front of them.
"Next week's game against the Hurricanes is obviously a big one," MacDonald continued. "We'll be jostling for a position - someone will leapfrog someone else.
"That's a big one at home, then we've got one more game - at home against the Highlanders.
"[There's] some big games in the next two rounds. There'll be some positions up for grabs.
"Obviously, we want to be playing at home, so it's really important. Building on tonight's performance, we can take some confidence in both attack and defence, but our discipline needs to be better, there's no doubt about that."
The race for a top-four finish will intensify on Saturday, when the Chiefs host the Hurricanes in Hamilton.
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