Super Rugby Pacific is well and truly into the teeth of its regular season, with only the Hurricanes still undefeated after the opening four weeks of play.
And that was only because of some late heroics in a wet Christchurch, where Clark Laidlaw's team willed themselves past a still winless Crusaders with a late try to Justin Sangster.
Elsewhere, there were wins for the Reds, Moana Pasifika, Brumbies, Chiefs and Blues.
Read on as we review some of the Super -- And Not So Super -- action from Round 4.
SUPER
BRUMBIES ZIP-ZIP MAN MUST BE CLOSING IN ON WALLABIES CALL-UP
The southern reaches of New Zealand had not been a happy hunting ground for the Brumbies ahead of Round 4, with the ACT side having last beaten the Highlanders across the ditch back in 2013.
And for the opening 20 minutes of Saturday's game, that drought looked set to continue as the hosts built an 8-0 lead and generally put the Brumbies off their game -- more on that later -- Clarke Dermody's side continuing their strong early season form.
The Brumbies eventually closed the gap, steadied and regathered some of the stability that has been the hallmark of their existence, yet still this match continued to swing one way then the other, albeit not where it matters most -- on the scoreboard.
That was until a half-opportunity presented itself to Brumbies winger Corey Toole, with a key assist from Andy Muirhead, proved to be the momentum shifting moment of the second half. On the back of some front-foot ball, the Brumbies shifted play towards the left touchline, Muirhead's stutter-step briefly holding up Timoci Tavatavanawai, which created the smallest bit of space for Toole.
But that is all the Brumbies winger needs, such is his lightning acceleration. With Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens beaten on the outside, Toole charged down the touchline, before he eased up just enough to cut back on the inside to beat the covering Cam Millar and cruise in for a five-pointer that arguably few other Australian wingers could have finished.
Toole was barely on Eddie Jones' radar at all last year, the now-former Wallabies coach preoccupied with Suliasi Vunivalu and the "utility players" he said would be invaluable in France. But you get the feeling that a coach like Joe Schmidt may be far more inclined to take a chance on someone like Toole, purely because of his blinding speed and ability to finish opportunities other wingers cannot.
At the very least, Toole must be among the players Schmidt wants to loot at in July when Australia will face Wales -- who finished bottom of the Six Nations after a winless tournament -- and Georgia.
Sure, there are holes in the Brumbies winger's game -- he is suspect in the air and can be a bit of ragdoll when kept in tight spaces -- but so good has his finishing been early in 2024 that he deserves a shot at Test rugby later this year.
His selection would also prove the value of Australia's sevens program and that players can in fact move between the shorter and original formats of the game.
HURRICANES TRIO FILLING SAVEA'S SHOES
If there was anyone who deserved a Japanese sabbatical in New Zealand rugby, it was Ardie Savea. Last year's World Rugby Player of the Year had been in outstanding form for several seasons, emptying the tank week after week for both the Hurricanes and All Blacks.
Given his peerless contributions, it was thought that the Hurricanes may slip back to the middle of the pack this year, but the opposite has in fact occurred -- with youngsters Peter Lakai and Brayden Iose, and Devan Flanders, instead given an opportunity to thrive.
The back-row trio was superb against the Crusaders on both sides of the ball, putting up 48 runs for a combined 133 metres in heavy conditions, and a further 35 tackles with just two misses.
The athletic trio clearly gets through a mountain of work, while Lakai and Iose both possess speed similar to, if not better than Savea, making them just a dangerous in open space.
Few players across the world can make metres through contact like Savea does and he is shredding defenses for Kobe Kobelco Steelers under Dave Rennie, but in their combined back-row riches the Hurricanes have managed the transition superbly.
They are rightful competition leaders after the opening month of Super Rugby Pacific.
TAP MOVE HELPS MOANA TO A SECOND SEASON WIN
One of the welcomed trends in world rugby in recent times has been the return of the tap move close to the tryline. In what is a throwback to the game's amateur era when tap moves were as creative as they were regular, teams across the globe are attempting to confuse opposition defences with clever decoy runners and changes of direction.
And that's what helped Moana Pasifika get over the line against the Force in Perth on Friday night as Wallabies centurion Sekope Kepu barged over close to the line for a vital try five minutes before halftime.
Fifteen metres in from the right touchline, hooker Sama Malolo passed to No. 8 Lotu Inisi, who turned his back to the Force defence, before offloading to a rampaging Kepu on his right shoulder for the try.
Moana are showing much more endeavour as a team this season and Friday night's 22-14 win means they have already eclipsed their efforts from 2023, which is a timely run of form given they are rumoured to be on the chopping block if or when the Melbourne Rebels are banished from the competition for next season.
Coach Tana Umaga is clearly making an impact on this Pasifika group.
NOT SO SUPER
THE PLAYS THAT SUM UP THE FORCE
It's a good thing Simon Cron arrived in Perth with next to no hair on his melon as it has saved him the pain of pulling it out.
The frustration the Force coach must feel when he watches his side in action would be almost unbearable, or at least have him pondering his post in the west. To his credit, Cron is prepared to stick it out for the long haul having already extended his stay to the end of 2026.
That at least gives him plenty of time to continue working on the basics, such as catch and pass, or instigating a blanket rule that says any player with a number eight or less on their back is not permitted to take 22m restarts.
Certainly had Will Harris thrown a pass that was out in front of Isaak Fines-Leleiwasa, and not slightly behind his scrum-half, then the Force would have likely found themselves with a 7-0 lead after only nine minutes. Having loomed up in support after a beautiful break from Ben Donaldson, Harris appeared to confuse himself and then left his pass too late as it drifted behind his No. 9 and was promptly grassed as a result.
Later in the first half, prop Ryan Croxon attempted to take a 22m restart all on his own, but instead only managed to knock the ball on and turn possession immediately back over to Moana.
They were two moments that defined the Force's woes and just how much work the highly respected Cron still has to do in Perth.
THE BRUMBIES' LOSS IS [THANKFULLY] THE WALLABIES' GAIN
While the Brumbies have worked their way to 3-1 for the season, including two wins away from home, they are not, at this stage, the same outfit of the past two years.
Is it the departure of Nic White? No. How about Pete Samu's move to France? Not quite.
Where the Brumbies have suffered the biggest blow is in the loss of Laurie Fisher, who after three stints and 15 years with the franchise, decided the 2023 season would be his last.
And you only had to watch the first 20 minutes of the Brumbies' performance in Dunedin to see just how keenly the team has felt Fisher's absence, as they were hustled off their game at the tackle and were sucked in to playing off-the-cuff rugby as a result. That has never been the Brumbies' style.
In a credit to the Brumbies' coaching staff, ACT were much better at the collision after halftime. But after two less-than-convincing wins the past two weeks it is clear where they need to improve.
Thankfully for fans of Australian rugby, Fisher was on Friday announced as one of Joe Schmidt's first Wallabies hires. The first man sacked by Eddie Jones is the first man rehired by Schmidt. There might just be something in that.
PEROFETA'S POOR NIGHT KEEPS THE WARATAHS IN IT
The Blues made it three wins from four, on Saturday night, as they held off a desperate late surge from the Waratahs to triumph 12-10 in Sydney.
But NSW should never have really been in the contest, having largely been dominated by the Blues forwards, particularly for the first 25 minutes of the second half. And that was because of fly-half Stephen Perofeta, whose kicking exploits would have embarrassed a park rugby player somewhere out in the Sydney suburbs.
Perofeta couldn't have hit the backside of Allianz Stadium on Saturday night, let alone split the uprights, as he missed three rudimentary shots at goal and capped his forgettable night with a penalty kick for touch that flew dead in goal.
The Blues fly-half has been spoken about as a potential All Blacks No. 10 in the post-Richie Mo'unga era, but his efforts on Saturday night will have seen him slip well down the pecking order behind Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett, the latter who will return to calculations after the Japanese season.
Perofeta would have been wearing the post-match blame had those 11 missed points come back to bite the Blues. He owes his forward pack a round of beers, or two.