Super Rugby Round 17: Chiefs deliver timely adrenalin shot, Waratahs eye second spot

The race for the Super Rugby finals went up a notch in Round 17 despite competition frontrunners, the Crusaders, enjoying an extra week's break following the June Test series.

The weekend may have begun with a match that had no impact on the make-up of the top eight, but what followed certainly didn't disappoint.

Read on for some of the key talking points across the weekend.

Australian Conference

Waratahs finally deliver when it matters

NSW Waratahs have played better rugby and lost this season, yet Friday night's victory over Melbourne Rebels was arguably their finest win of the year to date. And it's all but locked up the Australian conference title for the first time in three years, too.

Minus their two most consistent performers of 2018 and key game-breakers, Michael Hooper and Israel Folau, the Waratahs nailed the moments that eluded them against the likes of the Chiefs and Crusaders to down the Rebels 31-26 at AAMI Park.

Trailing 26-17 with 20 minutes to play, it was two more Wallabies who helped steer the Waratahs home in Kurtley Beale and Bernard Foley. After an indifferent June Test series, it could be the catalyst that fires Foley back to the top of his game.

For now, though, the midfield duo's late intercepts have put the Waratahs on the cusp of a home quarterfinal. A bonus-point victory against the Sunwolves on Saturday will be enough for NSW to lock up the Australian conference.

More importantly, they have now given themselves the opportunity to avoid a Kiwi side in the opening weekend of the playoffs by securing second place overall. Currently trailing the Lions by two points, the Waratahs will move into second spot on the overall ladder with a win this week as the South Africans have the Round 18 bye.

For the Waratahs, that would mean potentially avoiding any of the Chiefs, Highlanders and even the sliding Hurricanes, in the opening weekend of the playoffs. Conversely, it could mean a date with any of the Jaguares, Rebels, Sharks or potentially even the Lions themselves should they slip up in Round 19 and the Argentines win their final two games on the road in Africa.

Whatever the case, the Waratahs would love the chance to avoid New Zealand opposition in week one of the playoffs given they beat only the Highlanders - who were reduced to 14 men - from their four trans-Tasman battles this season.

If that does eventuate, the Waratahs will toast the final quarter in Melbourne when they at last seized the opportunity instead of settling for another admirable defeat. Games against the Blues, Crusaders and Chiefs all went begging earlier in the season, but on this occasion Gibson's men delivered.

While they missed 40 tackles in total, the Waratahs were asked to make 83 more than their opposition and, crucially, they stuck them in the tense final moments when it really counted. After three frustrating years in charge, Gibson is at last seeing some commitment from his players.

New Zealand Conference

Thank you, Chiefs, we needed that

It would have been nice to leave the frustrations of the Television Match Official, citing process and general dissatisfaction with the laws of the game during the June Test series just there: within the international period itself.

Alas, that lasted all of 20 minutes as similar problems arose from the Blues' clash with the Reds which marked Super Rugby's return following a month-long hiatus. Reds coach Brad Thorn couldn't bite his tongue after his side's 39-16 defeat by the Blues in a game that saw four yellow cards. It was an all too familiar feeling.

Thankfully, Super Rugby's dalliance with the Pacific Islands again delivered; in terms of the Chiefs' scintillating play if not the actual contest in Fiji itself.

Put simply, the Chiefs' first half at Suva's ANZ Stadium was among the best stanzas of rugby from the competition's 22-year history. In building a 42-0 lead at the break, the Chiefs capitalised on every chance that fell their way in a breathtaking display of rugby.

They received contributions from players at either ends of their careers, too, as Liam Messam wound back the clock and rising fullback Solomon Alaimano reaffirmed his undeniable quality. Messam was back bumping off defenders like he did during the Chiefs' back-to-back titles from 2012/13 while Alaimano weaved this way and that in racking up 10 tackle busts.

The Chiefs fullback shredded the Highlanders backline defence, before stepping inside the chasing cover to set the two-time champions on their way in just the second minute. Not to be outdone, his back-three teammates Toni Pulu and Sean Wainui also added their names to the scoresheet; Pulu's second icing a marvellous opening stanza after the hooter.

The Highlanders simply had no answer to the Chiefs' onslaught as the Waikato side drove with purpose from close range, cut through in open field and used turnover ball superbly in a performance that showcased the full array of rugby's skills. They had set-piece dominance, too, which saw a determined Brad Weber lay on a miracle ball for Luke Jacobsen's try.