Has there been a closer run to the playoffs over the last five years than in 2024? With just five weeks of regular season left every team remains a chance to reach the top eight and it's bringing plenty of excitement back to the competition.
In Round 10 the Canberra hoodoo claimed the Hurricanes for their first loss of the season, while the Reds and Blues played out a classic in Brisbane.
Read on as we review some of the Super -- and Not So Super -- action from the weekend.
SUPER
LOLESIO DOES HIS WALLABIES RECALL NO HARM
Racing out of the gates quickly on Saturday afternoon, the Brumbies showed no signs of the issues that plagued them in their 46-7 demolition at the hands of the Blues a week earlier.
It was perhaps their most complete performance of the year, and it couldn't come at a more important time as they made the Hurricanes look vulnerable for the first time this season to make it six straight defeats to the Brumbies in Canberra.
While there were star performances across the field, including the return of Allan Alaalatoa from a knee injury -- it was their midfield that proved the difference with former New Zealand U20s player Tamati Tua making his mark against All Black Jordie Barrett.
Straight through 2 defenders and then speed to the line! Wowww 🤯
— Stan Sport Rugby (@StanSportRugby) April 27, 2024
↳ Super Rugby Pacific. Brumbies v Hurricanes, live now. Every Match. Ad-free. Live & On Demand on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport.#StanSportAU #SuperRugbyPacific #BRUvHUR pic.twitter.com/OWEoSIIEl5
The big midfielder's presence proved too much for the Hurricanes' defence, his pace cutting through the defensive line as he repeatedly ran hard lines and constantly asked questions, before finishing the match with 18 carries and 116 metres.
The return of Len Ikitau in the middle added just as much edge with the chemistry between the two centres a point of difference and something no doubt that would have caught Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt's attention, if only to be disappointed Tua isn't Wallabies eligible yet.
Noah Lolesio also found his spark and did his Wallabies recall chances no harm. It was a solid all-round performance, with his goal-kicking skills on display as well as his astute game management skills as he led his team around the park and piled the pressure on an inaccurate Hurricanes side, even adding a try to his stats for the night.
The challenge now will be for the Brumbies to back up their strong performance. Several times this season they've managed to produce a solid performance only to struggle to back it up a week later. Already coach Stephen Larkham has laid down the gauntlet for his side.
"Every team in this competition is dangerous on their day, and if you look at the start of the season, we've [played] some teams that weren't quite at their top," Larkham told AAP.
"[The Hurricanes] are on top of the ladder, but that doesn't mean that they're necessarily any better than any other team we're coming up against over the next couple of games.
"The guys challenged themselves within the group to the highest standards, and we saw lot of improvement."
'JUNKYARD DOG' ANNOUNCES HIMSELF IN 14 MINUTE BLITZ
In a 14-minute blitz, Reds wing Tim Ryan announced himself to the world with a stunning hat-trick as he joins the list of Aussie star wings putting their hands up for Wallabies selection.
The former Junior Wallaby took his opportunity to start in place of Mac Grealy and lit up the stadium as he demonstrated his explosive game style he'd threatened previously.
TIM RYAN WOW 🤯 The 'Junkyard Dog' has a hat-trick!
— Stan Sport Rugby (@StanSportRugby) April 27, 2024
↳ Super Rugby Pacific. Reds v Blues, live now. Every Match. Ad-free. Live & On Demand on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport.#StanSportAU #SuperRugbyPacific #REDvBLU pic.twitter.com/mrLtKm8JCp
Not afraid to try his hand at anything, the 20-year-old, nicknamed 'Junkyard Dog', executed a chip and chase form his own in-goal in the 27th minute, before he was on the end of some mastery from Hunter Paisami for his first try, and added his second with a spectacular diving finish in the corner.
His third was his best as he hurdled over his tackled teammate and defender, dodging hard on his right, before bouncing back off his left to beat the last defender and dive over.
It may not have been enough to see the Reds get over the line, but it was eye-catching, and no doubt left Schmidt etching his name in his Wallabies notebook.
NOT SO SUPER
SHOULD MORE BE DONE TO PROTECT THE FLY-HALF?
Debate has raged since Friday night after Chiefs' Samipeni Finau laid down yet another huge, late hit on an opposition No.10, this time on Waratahs playmaker Tane Edmed.
The impact was bone rattling and left Edmed on the floor for over 20 seconds as he attempted to right himself before rejoining the play. It was reviewed by the TMO and cleared with no action taken, but it's left many questioning how late is too late and whether Finau is straying into 'cheap shot' territory.
Already this year we've seen the No.6 shoot out of the line and rock opposition 10s with slightly high and late tackles after they've passed the ball and turned away, including Reds' Tom Lynagh, Brumbies' Noah Lolesio and Moana Pasifika's William Havili, all in almost identical fashion.
Samipeni Finau should change his name to David Bain because he loves to kill the first five pic.twitter.com/lGXwEKpz7l
— Jamie Wall (@JamieWall2) April 26, 2024
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan defended his lock saying it was "purely coincidental" that Finau had put on several massive hits against opposition fly-halves, but admitted he was living on the edge with just small margin for it to go very wrong.
"No, it's purely coincidental that it's the same guy on the opposition with number 10s on their back," McMillan said post-match.
"I think you see multiple collisions in the game that border on being on the wrong side of the law, but that's the game. It's a physical game.
"We're talking about a difference about that much [10 centimetres]. He's got an acute awareness around the small margins, and he could be off the field [if he gets it wrong]. He's an important player for us, so he needs to get it right."
But should more be done to protect the No.10? Often placed in vulnerable positions after passing the ball and not braced for contact, the playmaker is much like a sitting duck when a defender shoots out of line and hits them after the offload.
Queensland coach Les Kiss asked that exact question after he saw his playmaker Lynagh flattened by Finau earlier this year.
"If you pass the ball and two seconds later you're getting hit, I think you should be protected and that's the main focus," Kiss said. "If that's becoming a trend we've got to stamp on straight away because what you permit, you promote."
Or should we be embracing the physicality? After all it is a contact sport and big hits are often celebrated. Even the Super Rugby Pacific social media accounts lauded the hit.
"That's the risk. It is a contact sport. If you take it to the line, there is always that risk you are going to get hit," Waratahs captain Jake Gordon said.
"It is a real hard one to police. Heat of the moment and you are a metre from a guy, and you don't know if he is going to dummy, you are taught to tackle the guy if he is going to take it to the line.
"I would have to have a look at it but it's simultaneous and he is wrapping, that's rugby a little bit."
QUESTIONS MUST BE ASKED OF WARATAHS HIGH-PERFORMANCE PROGRAM
Injuries are a part of rugby, there's no denying that, but with the extent of the Waratahs' injury list -- especially their forward pack -- questions need to be asked of their high-performance program.
Entering Friday night's clash against the Chiefs with seven of their 10 contracted front-rowers ruled out, including all three hookers, they finished the match with another two entering their bulging rehab group.
Before a ball had even been kicked they were down a player with Hayden Thompson-Stringer ruled out ahead of kick-off with a thigh cork -- luckily a short-term issue -- but things got even worse when his replacement Tom Ross went down with an MCL injury just minutes into the match.
He continued on until halftime before he was subbed, but it left the Waratahs with just three Shute Shield props on injury cover contracts with a combined 17 minutes of Super Rugby experience.
"It doesn't help, but yeah, there's a few like that who had to go to the well tonight," Waratahs coach Darren Coleman said post-match.
"We effectively finished the game with three club front-rowers, couple of them who have only been in since Wednesday or Thursday, so they'll get another week with us, and I'd like to think they'll be a bit more across our calling and systems.
"That wasn't the reason we didn't win that game today; it was a combination of multiple facets of our game just not being on point."
Angus Bell (toe), Theo Fourie (foot), Mahe Vailanu (knee), Daniel Botha (Achilles), Mesu Kunavula (knee), Thomas Lambert (knee) and David Porecki (Achilles) make up the bulk of the Tahs' injury list and will miss the remainder of the season, while Archer Holz (shoulder) and Ned Slack-Smith (concussion) are questionable for their returns. Add Ross to that list and centre Joey Walton who suffered a foot issue on Friday, you'd be questioning whether the Tahs will even have enough healthy players to make it through to the end of the season.
While Coleman has been left dumbfounded by the spate of injuries questions need to be answered with rumblings about the high-performance program heard privately from the playing group.
Sitting 11th on the ladder and with their next two matches against the table-topping Hurricanes in Wellington and the Brumbies, there's likely to be a whole lot of pain for the Waratahs ahead.