Round three of Super Rugby is done and dusted and there was plenty of drama over the weekend.
Missed any of the action? We've got you covered with all the highlights and results from a big couple of days.
BLUES vs CRUSADERS
The defending champion Crusaders rebounded from an early-season loss to extend their Super Rugby winning streak over the Blues to 11 matches with a 25-8 win at Eden Park on Friday.
The Christchurch-based Crusaders lost to the Chiefs in last weekend's second round and had to quickly regroup to face the Blues who were coming off an away win over the New South Wales Waratahs.
"I think we had a decent review (of the Chiefs loss)," Crusaders captain Scott Barrett said.
"We had a bit of hurt that was bottled up inside us.
"We knew we had to start well and play for the full 80 and I think we did that. You saw at the end there the boys really coming forward and making some good tackles."
The Crusaders had to come from behind to win after they conceded a seventh minute try to Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu.
But they quickly pulled themselves together and controlled most of the rest of the match, though it was a match strewn from errors from both teams.
After a penalty to David Havili winger George Bridge gave the Crusaders a lead, at 8-3, they didn't relinquish for the rest of the contest.
RESULT
Blues 8
Tries: Tuipulotu
Pens: Plummer
Crusaders 25
Tries: Bridge, Mo'unga, Goodhue
Cons: Havili
Pens: Havili 2
REBELS vs WARATAHS
Rebels coach Dave Wessels says he is confident his side is on the right track, after a 24-10 win over the Waratahs.
In their first win over NSW since 2016, the Rebels ensured they finally got on the board in 2020 and extended their opposition’s pain.
With rain belting down for much of the match, this was no high octane scoring contest but both sides looked to run the ball even in heavy rain.
Melbourne had the better of the opening 40, dominating territory, but were able to yield just one try from that opening term.
The Waratahs hit back early in the second half but the Rebels stormed home, with Andrew Kellaway scoring two tries in eight minutes to blow the final margin out to 14 points.
Read the full match report here.
RESULT
Rebels 24
Tries: Kellaway 2, Koroibete
Pens: To'omua 3
Waratahs 10
Tries: Johnson-Holmes
Cons: Harrison
Pens: Harrison
SUNWOLVES vs CHIEFS
All Blacks playmaker Damian McKenzie had a major role as the Chiefs continued their unbeaten start to the Super Rugby season with a 43-17 win over the Sunwolves in Tokyo.
McKenzie missed last year's World Cup and most of the 2019 season with a knee injury but has made a strong return over the last two weeks after sitting out the opening round.
Saturday's away win was important to the Chiefs because the Sunwolves, having already beaten the Melbourne Rebels, are likely to trip up a number of teams at home in their final campaign.
To prove that, the Sunwolves scored first Saturday with a try to flyhalf Garth April after strong running from former England centre Ben Te'o.
McKenzie featured as the Chiefs struck back with tries on both flanks, using the width of the field to score through wingers Solomon Alaimalo and Shaun Stevenson.
The Sunwolves missed a vital chance to score in the 17th minute when McKenzie chopped down Jarred Adams centimetres from the line and the prop could not link with two unmarked players outside him.
McKenzie then made a second try for Alaimalo which gave the Chiefs a 24-7 lead.
The Sunwolves had to score next and did so when Georgia hooker Jaba Bregvadze wrestled the ball over the line from a maul just before halftime.
The Chiefs made the game safe when flanker Lachlan Boshier scored within three minutes of the restart, pouncing on a Sunwolves turnover.
RESULT
Sunwolves 17
Tries: April, Bregvadze, Nakano
Cons: April
Chiefs 43
Tries: Alamaio, Stevenson, Weber , McKenzie, Boshier, Tupaea, Trask
Cons: McKenzie 3, Trask
HURRICANES vs SHARKS
The Durban-based Sharks surrendered their unbeaten Super Rugby record when they went down 38-22 to the Hurricanes in a match highlighted by spectacular long-range tries in Wellington on Saturday.
The Sharks set the ball rolling in the 13th minute with an 80-metre intercept try involving captain Lukhanyo Am and winger Madosh Tambwe.
After Wes Goosen scored for the Hurricanes and Tyler Paul for the Sharks, All Blacks midfield back Ngani Laumapi scored a superb try for the Hurricanes from a cross-kick by Jordie Barrett.
Winger Ben Lam struck twice from distance to give the Hurricanes a 29-17 lead after 51 minutes and All Blacks hooker Dane Coles, who came off the bench for his first appearance of the season, scored from a lineout drive to put the home team ahead 38-17.
A late try to replacement Mzamo Majola wasn't enough to bridge the gap and the Sharks and Hurricanes now share 2-1 records after three rounds.
RESULT
Hurricanes 38
Tries: Lam 2, Goosen, Laumape, Coles
Cons: Barrett 5
Pens: Barrett
Sharks 22
Tries: Tambwe, Paul, Majola
Cons: Chamberlain, Nohamba
Pens: Nohamba
BRUMBIES vs HIGHLANDERS
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar has backed his side's call to run down the clock despite conceding the match-winning try in a 23-22 defeat to the Highlanders.
A Folau Fainga'a hat-trick looked to have sealed the game for the Brumbies, who held a six-point lead in the final 13 minutes,but they were taught a lesson in game management in the final 10.
In a marathon effort that took the match well past the 80-minute mark, the Highlanders had three consecutive penalties that gave them the chance to steal the win.
Attempting to keep the ball in hand and run down the clock rather than look to clear, the Brumbies turned the ball over and a Highlanders penalty opened the door for the win.
A breakdown penalty with 13 seconds to go gave the Kiwis a sniff and they immediately went for the corner.
Though they couldn't reap the rewards from the first attempt, they were given a second chance from another penalty in the 82nd minute.
It looked as though the game was over after an off-target kick in attack but the Highlanders were playing advantage and instead, Murray Douglas was yellow-carded and the Kiwis had another chance to snatch it.
It was third time lucky for the Kiwis with Teariki Ben-Nicholas crashing over in the 84th minute and Josh Ioane coolly slotting the conversion.
McKellar said he completely supported his team's decisions in the dying seconds.of the match and was proud of their efforts despite the final result.
RESULT
Brumbies 22
Tries: Fainga'a 3
Cons: Lolesio, Lonergan
Pens: Lonergan
Highlanders 23
Tries: Nareki, Ben-Nicholas
Cons: Ioane 2
Pens: Ioane 3
LIONS vs STORMERS
The Stormers have snatched a 33-30 win over the Lions to maintain one of just two unbeaten records in Super Rugby.
The Cape Town-based Stormers conceded their first points of the season and were trailing their hosts 30-26 nearly two minutes after the final hooter in their South African derby.
The Stormers kept the ball alive and worked an opportunity for centre Ruhan Nel to score a dramatic match-winning try in the last play of Saturday's game at Ellis Park.
The victory was the Stormers' first in Johannesburg in five years although it was not enough to keep them top of the overall standings, dropping to second behind the Chiefs.
Both the Stormers and the Lions scored four tries, two of which were converted, with the difference being the boot of visiting Damian Willemse, who also kicked three penalty goals.
The scores were locked at 15-all at halftime with tries from Juarno Augustus (12th) and Godlen Masimla (19th) for the Stormers cancelled out by five-pointers from the Lions' Andries Coetzee (26th) and Courtnall Skosan (30th).
A Sergeal Petersen try early in the second half helped the Stormers move clear before the Lions hit back with tries to Elton Jantjies (69th) and Dan Kriel (73rd) to take the lead going into the final 10 minutes.
However, the Stormers refused to give in and were rewarded with Nel's late try which was converted.
RESULT
Lions 30
Tries: Coetzee, Skosan, Jantjies, Kriel
Cons: Jantjies 2
Pens: Jantjies 2
Stormers 33
Tries: Augustus, Masimla, Petersen, Nel
Cons: Willemse, du Plessis
Pens: Willemse
JAGUARES vs REDS
The Reds have suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Jaguares in Argentina, conceding three tries in eight minutes with captain Liam Wright in the sin bin to surrender their lead and ultimately suffer a 43-27 defeat.
The Reds were desperate to salvage something from their three-match road trip and started accordingly, playing with enormous intensity and building a 14-0 lead inside the opening 20 minutes.
The Jaguares hit back but the Reds still held the upper hand at the break and heading into the final quarter before the turning point, when referee Federico Anselmi showed Wright a yellow card in the 62nd minute.
The Reds were on the wrong end of a 13-3 penalty count in the match, but failed to adjust to Anselmi's interpretations and constant warnings that they were on thin ice and Wright suffered the brunt despite seemingly being in position to pilfer when he was penalised and sin binned.
Queensland led 27-22 when he left but were unable to deal with the Jaguares' outstanding maul, the Argentinians scoring two tries in five minutes through their rampaging pack, with Tomas Cubelli's try in the 70th minute icing the game.
RESULT
Jaguares 43
Tries: Montoya 3, Boffelli, Socino, Cubelli
Cons: Miotti 4, Albornoz
Pens: Miotti
Reds 27
Tries: Feauai-Sautia 2, McDermott, Wright
Cons: Campbell 2
Pens:Campbell
