The top-of-the-table clash between the Chiefs and Queensland Reds delivered a defensive chess match in tough conditions in Hamilton.
In the end, the Chiefs had enough class in the final quarter to win 27-15 and claim top spot on the ladder.
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So what did we learn?
The Chiefs are the clear favourites at the midway point of the season.
They're a team that you need to be perfect to beat and they punished the Reds for a ten minute lapse to secure the win.
With this win, they hold victories over the rest of the top four. Next week, they clash against the fifth-place NSW Waratahs.
It’s going to take a special performance to defeat them.
Even in defeat, the Reds proved they are legit.
The Reds repelled everything the Chiefs threw at them and then some in the tough conditions before the end.
They will lament a few missed opportunities, with Harry McLaughlin-Phillips inches away from a wonder try that would've given them a 17-10 lead.
But off a six-day turnaround, it was a commendable performance.
The wet conditions really took away what broke out into a cracker encounter at brief stages between these two sides.
There were constant momentum shifts, but just as either side tried to play expansively, their handling faltered due to the rain, with 18 turnovers in the first half.
The Reds had nine in the first half, the same amount they had in 75 minutes in similar conditions last week.
It just leaves fans hungry for more if/when these sides match up in the finals.
Joe Brial took advantage of a rarely enforced rule to keep the Reds in the contest.
The backrower had an air swing at the ball but positioned his torso perfectly to touch it down to level the scores at the break.
It was a great reward for the backrower and a perfect example for young players why you keep working until the final whistle.
Special credit must go to Filipo Daugunu, who put the perfect bomb and contest together to put Damian McKenzie.
The Reds showed the pros and cons of turning down the points.
They had two kickable penalties and twice turned it down. First, they delivered the goods with a Matt Faessler try before the Chiefs shut down another rolling maul.
The second one will attract plenty of questions given the situation, with the game at 10-all, especially when Damian McKenzie opted for a harder shot ten minutes later to put them in front.
But that is the appeal and the mantra of the Reds: Live by the sword, die by the sword
