Four wins on the trot. The Blues have their best consecutive record in a season since 2011. At 4-3 for the season, and on 19 competition points, the Blues are in the thick of the playoff race. They're comfortably in the top eight and sit third in the New Zealand conference. With Ma'a Nonu producing an inspired performance to hold the Waratahs off, could the Blues reach the finals for the first time since 2011?
Elsewhere, there were wins for the Crusaders, Sharks, Rebels, Jaguares and Reds.
Read on for some of the key talking points from the weekend's action.
Australian Conference | NZ Conference | South African Conference
AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCE
Tate emerging as tasty Wallabies No. 9 option
It's hard to get a read on exactly where the Queensland Reds are at, but they certainly have found a scrum-half to build a squad around for the next few years.
Tate McDermott has now rocketed into Wallabies calculations for this year's Rugby World Cup after turning in another livewire performance in the Reds' 24-12 win over the Stormers on Friday night.
McDermott was sensational in just his third start of the year, the No. 9 playing a starring role in an otherwise mistake-riddled contest alongside skipper Samu Kerevi.
Having come off the bench in the Reds' first four fixtures, it was McDermott's impact in the comeback victory over the Sunwolves in Tokyo that finally earned him a start the following week against the Brumbies.
Back in Brisbane, McDermott relished the warm conditions; his running game, footwork and slick pass giving the Reds a real energy the Brumbies couldn't match in stifling conditions. He was somewhat muted in the loss to the Rebels a week later, but returned to his best on Friday night by scoring the match-turning try from a quick tap in the 67th minute.
Up by just seven points midway through the final quarter, this was a game a youthful Reds outfit could have easily lost. But McDermott instead channelled the belief coach Brad Thorn has instilled in the 20-year-old halfback, backing himself to challenge the Stormers from close range.
When a kick to the corner or even a shot at three points may have appeared the smarter option, McDermott scooped up the loose ball after Marius van der Westhuizen had blown a penalty, ducked in front of the referee himself, and then beat three backpedalling Stormers with a right- and left-foot step to ground the ball and give the Reds the breathing space they needed.
But that was far from McDermott's only involvement in the match, with a delightful delayed pass for a Scott Higginbotham break another moment that caught the eye in a game where both sides struggled badly with their handling.
McDermott has seemingly timed his run perfectly, in adding his name to the mix to be Will Genia's deputy at this year's World Cup. It is not yet known whether the Wallabies selection panel will look to take three scrum-halves to Japan, or whether they will bank on two and call for further cover should an injury arise.
But McDermott must surely now be in the conversation alongside Nick Phipps, Jake Gordon and Joe Powell; the Queenslander boasting the best pass of that quartet and similar speed to, if not better than, Gordon.
Alongside Kerevi at the Reds, though, he has already emerged as one of the team's key attacking strike weapons and a player Thorn can use as the crux of his backline for the next few years, even if the skipper himself decides to walk.
The Reds' more immediate challenge, however, comes in the form of a two-week tour of South Africa, where even one win could prove vital in their semifinal aspirations. At 3-3 for the year, their season is still very much in the balance.
NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE
Simplified Nonu turning back the clock
It's hard to imagine one of the best players in the world managing to step up their game up to another level -- especially after a year in France -- but that's exactly what Ma'a Nonu has managed to do. The 36-year-old has wound back the clock, taken on a simpler game plan and ignited the Blues to their fourth straight win -- their best consecutive record in a season in eight years.
One try, two try assists and plenty of big hits; Nonu wasn't going to be kept quiet by the supposed 'Blue Wall' Waratahs defensive line, and in doing so has surely captured All Blacks coach Steve Hansen's attention as he pushes for a place on the plane to Japan for the Rugby World Cup.
Nonu was rock solid in all aspects. He absolutely flattened Waratahs star Bernard Foley in defence, and did the same to halfback Nick Phipps while charging through with the ball. His running game was strong, and it was his pinpoint accurate passing that secured the Blues' win.
The first of the Blues tries in the ninth minute, and the first of Nonu's assists, can all go down to his amazing passing game and his ability to read the space. Charging down the pitch, Nonu spotted flanker Tom Robinson all the way wide outside him, he pumped the air to grab Robinson's attention and then fired a laser ball for Robinson to run onto. The Tahs had no chance, all drawn into Nonu leaving Robinson almost untouched as he blazed over the line.
It was just one example of the experience and skill that Nonu brings to the Blues, and something they've sorely needed for the past few seasons. He's proven crucial to their game, especially in a tight match against a resilient Waratahs outfit, and his team-best 49 metres on six runs could be seen as the game winner.
But surely one of his best moments of the night was his try in the 60th minute. The Waratahs had hit back after a slow opening 20 minutes to bring the scores within just one-point, but a loose pass from Israel Folau gave Nonu the perfect opportunity to extend their lead and again defy his age for a truly inspired piece of rugby. Centre TJ Faiane flicked the ball to Nonu, the line was wide open but there was still plenty of field between Nonu and the score. The 103-Test veteran charged down 40 metres, defenders scrambled and swarmed on him, but he swerved and veered, eyes on the line and five metres out he dived, sliding over for what would be the match winning try for the Blues.
The crowd were on their feet, and rightly so. The veteran played every minute, and was a raging bull for every second. He never faltered or stuttered, and he did everything right. He was the player everyone wants on their team.
Nonu refused to talk to the media following the match, but there were plenty of people happy to shower accolades on the veteran. Blues coach Leon MacDonald was full of praise for Nonu's game-changing effort.
"He was outstanding," MacDonald said following the match. "When he decided to carry, he carried with massive purpose and got us over the gain-line. His defence was abrasive and then he showed his versatility with a 55-metre wipers [kick] into the corner."
Nonu was at his level-headed, experienced best, and is certainly a worthy contender in a crowded All Blacks midfield picture.
SOUTH AFRICAN CONFERENCE
Curwin Bosch conjures memories of Israel Dagg
Curwin Bosch, it's fair to say, caught the eye in spectacular fashion with his Man of the Match performance as the Sharks devastated the Lions on a rainy night at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on Friday.
But it was the manner of what he did -- rather than what he did on his first start of the season -- that impressed, rendering moot his stats of 11 runs for 104 metres, two clean breaks, nine defenders beaten, three try assists, two conversions and a penalty goal; his personal tally lacked a try, but that was only because he elected unselfishly to feed Aphelele Fassi for an easier opportunity than he would have had himself had he pinned his ears back to go for the gap between Tyrone Green and Aphiwe Dyantyi.
That decision making, the calm assessment of the situation at hand, was central to his performance.
Example one: We can visibly see him scanning the Lions' defensive line deep in Sharks territory after the visitors had stopped a dangerous break from Dyantyi and effected a quick turnover; he noted the presence of props Sithembiso Sithole and Carlo Sadie, shimmied, and scythed through the gap to race in the hosts' territory, but what was really impressive was the way he made his way left to link with Makazole Mpimpi and send the winger clear for the first of two tries. This was not the only time he throttled back to link with support, showing Test smarts.
Example two: The manner in which he drew Dyantyi, like a moth to a flame, and let the pass go across him for Makazole to complete his brace while the Lions centre 'burned' was pure class, and again illustrated a player with peripheral vision and maximum awareness of the situation.
Factor in his soft hands, the manner in which he combined with Lukhanyo Am and wingers Mpimpi and Lwazi Mvovo, his kicking from hand and for points, and we have perhaps the most impressive individual performance by a South African player this season; at the end of a week in which Israel Dagg announced his retirement, it was fitting that Bosch produced a performance to conjure memories of the two-time Rugby World Cup-winning New Zealand All Blacks fullback at his best.
Bosch now has the task to replicate a consistent level of performance week in week out to show if he might be a Test player who offers a viable alternative to Springboks fullback Willie le Roux -- not unlike the Sharks, whose impressive performance saw them replace the Lions atop the South African Super Rugby conference. There is likely a thought that the Sharks, after eight rounds of the 2019 competition, are the most rounded and most complete of South Africa's teams, if they can truly match the physicality of their compatriots and back-up this level of performance; they certainly have the best record against New Zealand and Australian opponents, and hence have most reason to be confident when they head Down Under in little more than a week's time after hosting Queensland Reds.
The Lions head to Australia and New Zealand immediately, to face the Brumbies, Chiefs and Crusaders, before returning home to host the Waratahs and Highlanders ahead of the return fixture against the Sharks in Durban. That's some run of games, and they must be concerned given the manner in which they have shipped huge points in the first half against the Bulls, Rebels and now the Sharks -- all in Johannesburg; they don't help themselves with their stubborn insistance on 'playing rugby' to get out of their own danger zone, and their trouble now is that opponents have been gifted an established blueprint to beat them. Unless they become more flexible -- rain or no rain -- their "we'll score more tries than you" approach is more likely than not to see them miss the playoffs.
Down the M1 in Pretoria, the Bulls had the game won against the Jaguares only for replacement forwards Conraad van Vuuren and Tim Agaba to receive yellow cards that gifted the visitors the space and momentum to secure a 22-20 victory having trailed 20-10 with seven minutes to play. Talk about dumb. Bulls coach Pote Human was being polite after the game in saying "it was just ridiculous ... the stupidity of the players". Discipline might just be the least of the Bulls' issues, however, if the promising start to the season is not to become a distant memory. They have now lost three straight against non-South African opponents -- two at home -- and they face similar opponents in seven of their next eight games, including four on tour. Anyone still fancy they'll be making the post-season?
The Stormers return home from a 0-4 tour with no pretensions of making the playoffs (if they ever had them, even after their dismissal of the Jaguares before heading offshore). Coach Robert Fleck and Siya Kolisi each described the captain's yellow card shortly before halftime at Suncorp Stadium as pivotal, as the Reds scored two unanswered tries while he was absent in the second stanza, but still it doesn't excuse the lack of skills, patience and decision making even when he was on the pitch.
Calm heads; there's no replacing them.