There are ways to close out a Super Rugby Pacific regular season, and then there is what the Chiefs did at FMG Stadium Waikato on Saturday evening. Nine tries. A 25-point margin. A capacity crowd in Hamilton that barely drew breath between scores. The Blues came into the Battle of the Bombays needing a win to keep their hopes of a home quarter-final alive. They left heading south to Christchurch, beaten, and wondering how the gap between the two sides grew so large so fast.

The Chiefs absorbed early Blues pressure in the first quarter before the floodgates opened. Kyren Taumoefolau was everywhere in the attacking midfield, offloading out of contact and creating angles that the Blues' defensive structure simply could not close. By the interval, the Chiefs held a lead that left Auckland's challenge looking improbable, and the second half played out with the kind of relentless efficiency that coaches dream about but rarely see delivered.

For the Chiefs, it caps a regular season in which they have confirmed their status as genuine title contenders. They will host the Reds next week in the two-versus-five qualifying final, with the winner advancing directly to the semi-finals. Home advantage at FMG Stadium has been a formidable asset throughout the season.

The Blues will travel to Christchurch to face the Crusaders in the three-versus-four matchup. After tonight, however, the Blues will need to regroup quickly. Back-to-back defeats heading into finals rugby is not the form any team wants, and the Crusaders — who put away the Hurricanes in a statement performance last Friday — are in dangerous form.

The final Super Rugby Pacific standings see the Hurricanes at the top, with the Chiefs, Crusaders, and Blues completing the top four — a clean sweep of the top four positions by New Zealand franchises.