However, Australian teams are still in the hunt, with the remaining four places in the top six held by the Brumbies, Reds, Force and Waratahs, respectively.
The Hurricanes are seventh, three points behind the Waratahs, with the Blues and Highlanders a point behind.
Statistics
Most points: Damian McKenzie (Chiefs) 117, Sam Gilbert (Highlanders) 82, Ben Donaldson (Force) 79.
Most tries: Carlo Tizzano (Force) 11, Macca Springer (Crusaders) 8, Andy Muirhead (Brumbies), Sevu Reece (Crusaders), Filipo Daugunu (Reds), Kini Naholo (Hurricanes), Billy Pollard (Brumbies), Corey Toole (Brumbies), Caleb Tangitau (Highlanders), Kyren Taumoefolau (Moana Pasifika ) 6.
Most carries: Tupou Ta'eiloa (Moana Pasifika) 141, Quinn Tupaea (Chiefs), Langi Gleeson (Waratahs) 108, Elia Canakaivata (Drua) 106.
Most clean breaks: Ponipate Longanimasi (Drua) 18, Toole, Reece, Harry Potter (Force), Tangitau 13.
Most defenders beaten: Timoci Tavatavanawai (Highlanders) 47, McKenzie 42, Potter 35.
Most lineout throws won: Pollard 72, Ioane Moananu (Crusaders) 71, Ricky Riccitelli (Blues) 67.
Most metres gained: Tom Wright (Brumbies) 693, Tangitau 676, Will Jordan (Crusaders) 598.
Most offloads: Reece 16, Jordan 13, Potter 11.
Most tackles won: Tizzano 147, Fabian Holland (Highlanders) 143, Du'Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes) 140.
Crusaders 25 Blues 22
The Blues fired all their guns, but the home town Crusaders had more ammunition and got home on a scrum-forced penalty with replacement five-eighths James O'Connor landing a 40-metre penalty goal to claim a win on full-time, to secure an old-fashioned wet weather contest. All the statistics favoured the Blues; they had 59 percent of possession, forced the Crusaders to make183 tackles to 73 of their own, won the rucks 116-47 and beat 22 defenders to six, but that determination on the tackle in the wet created the opportunities that the Crusaders have thrived on throughout their finest days.
They scored the opening try within two minutes for prop Tamaiti Williams to cross from a ruck, but the Blues worked their way back in with lock Josh Beehre cutting across the defensive grain from a goal line ruck to score. For the remainder of the first half, the Blues kept probing, and the Crusaders kept defending before penalties in the Blues 22m area created their usual chance just before halftime when second five-eighths David Havili dummied to create an opening and then offload to fullback Will Jordan, who scored. They backed that after the break with No8 Christian Lio-Willie scoring. However, the Blues powered back in, and No8 Hoskins Sotutu crossed from a goal-line ruck. Then, from another ruck, he flicked an audacious backhand pass to second five-eighths AJ Lam, who took a bouncing ball and scored to draw level. Penalty goals were exchanged, and just as golden point was looming, O'Connor stepped up to deny the visitors.
Crusaders 25 (Tamaiti Williams, Will Jordan, Christian Lio-Willie tries; Tahu Kemara 2 con; James O'Connor 2 pen) Blues 22 (Josh Beehre, Hoskins Sotutu, AJ Lam tries; Beauden Barrett 2 con, pen). HT: 14-7
Drua 28 Waratahs 14
Two early penalty goals to home first five-eighths Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula at Lautoka were followed by a 23-minute try to flanker Motikiai Murray after he exhibited clever side-stepping skills to take his chance. Then, three minutes later, the Drua's defence lost concentration, and flanker Langi Gleeson charged unimpeded to score the Waratahs' opening try. Just before halftime, home blindside flanker Etonia Waqa wove his way through the midfield defences of the Waratahs, and from his tackle, the ball was moved for No8 Elia Canakaivata to give wing Ponipate Longanimasi room to beat two defenders with footwork to give the Drua an 18-7 lead at the break.
It took 17 minutes into the second half before the Waratahs could score their second try through replacement hooker Julian Heaven crossing from a goal line ruck. It remained at 21-14 until injury time; after an attempted penalty goal went wide, the Waratahs attempted to run the ball from their in-goal. The ball was dropped and picked up by a player in an offside position, denying a probable try and resulting in referee Paul Williams awarding a penalty try.
Drua 28 (Motikiai Murray, Ponipate Longanimasi tries; Penalty try; Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula con, 3 pen) Waratahs 14 (Langi Gleeson, Julian Heaven tries; Lawson Creighton con; Tane Edmed con). HT: 18-7
A tight first half at Pukekohe remained scoreless until a minute into injury time when wing Andy Muirhead crossed from his right wing to kick the ball across to the left side of the field, where he was joined by left wing Corey Toole, who got the ball down millimetres inside the dead ball line for a 5-0 halftime lead.
Applied Brumbies mauling wore out the Moana Pasifika defenders as replacement hooker Billy Pollard blasted out of the pack to score in the 54th minute. The same tactic was applied twelve minutes later, starting closer to the line. Again, Pollard scored his second. Seven minutes from the end, the power of the Brumbies' scrum took effect as they worked a blindside move where fullback Tom Wright, at standoff, threw a long pass out to the left wing, where Toole took the ball and put his speed to use also to score his second of the game.
Moana Pasifika 0 Brumbies 24 (Corey Toole 2, Billy Pollard 2 tries; Declan Meredith 2 con). HT: 0-5
Chiefs 46 Highlanders 10
Rebounding from their loss to the Waratahs, the Chiefs scored the first try nine minutes into their game against the Highlanders, with wing Emoni Narawa coming off his wing to tidy from a goal-line ruck and find a gap in the defence to score. In the 27th minute, the Highlanders responded with prop Sosefo Kautai's quick support for a break by lock Fabian Holland, resulting in his scoring a try to level the scores. But that was as close as the Highlanders got.
Three minutes after the break, the Chiefs backs mounted an attack with centre Quinn Tupaea slipping a kick to the in-goal, where wing Leroy Carter got around his marker and won the chase to touch down just short of the deadball line. Six minutes later, the Chiefs maul took charge with replacement flanker Kaylum Boshier scoring, while three minutes later, first five-eighths Damian McKenzie saw acres of space on his left and put a kick for the unmarked flanker Samipeni Finau to score. Just before the third quarter, hooker Brodie McAlister got through a hole in midfield, and while tackled, he had Boshier in support, and he ran 23m to score. Six minutes from the end, a Chiefs lineout maul proved unstoppable for replacement hooker Samisoni Taukei'aho to score the final try of the game.
Chiefs 46 (Emoni Narawa, Leroy Carter, Kaylum Boshier 2, Samipeni Finau, Solimoni Taukei'aho tries; Damian McKenzie 5 con, 2 pen) Highlanders 10 (Sosefo Kautai try; Cameron con, pen). HT: 13-10
Force 17 Hurricanes 17
Ten minutes into the Perth contest between the Force and Hurricanes, visiting halfback Cam Roigard found space on the blindside to feed second five-eighths Peter Umaga-Jensen, who then transferred the ball to wing Fatafehi Fineanganofo, who ran in the opening try. But four minutes later, halfback Nick White stood off a scrum and created room, allowing wing Bayley Kuenzle to come off his wing and run through a gap to score under the crossbar. A minute before halftime, quick ball from a goal line ruck was transferred wide for fullback Mac Grealy to score in the corner.
Eight minutes into the second half, replacement back Riley Higgins took a long pass from Roigard, who fed fullback Callum Harkin, who was running at full speed into a gap to score untouched. Into the final quarter, Roigard broke left again on the blindside. He passed to Fineanganofo who broke two tackles and ran in the try to claim the lead. But three minutes from time, a midfield penalty was conceded. Force first five-eighths, Ben Donaldson, landed the penalty goal to level the scores. That forced the game to golden point. Donaldson missed a penalty goal attempt after three minutes and a dropped goal four minutes later, then after the final hooter, Hurricanes first five-eighths Ruben Love's attempted dropped goal missed when it rebounded off the goal post.
Force 17 (Bayley Kuenzle, Mac Grealy tries; Ben Donaldson 2 con, pen) Highlanders 17 (Fatafehi Fineanganofo 2, Callum Harkin tries; Harkin con). HT: 14-5, FT: 17-17.