The Chiefs hopes of winning their third successive Super Rugby title suffered a blow when they were hammered 45-8 by the Hurricanes in Wellington last night.
The Chiefs started the round in third place and on top of the New Zealand conference but have dropped out of the top six and are now second last in the Conference.
The Hurricanes outscored the current champions by six tries to one in the clash.
In another match the Crusaders recovered from their loss to the Sharks by beating the Highlanders 32-30 with a bonus point in Dunedin.
The victory provisionally moved the Crusaders to the top of the New Zealand Conference and the Highlanders two bonus points move them up to fourth place.
In other results, the Stormers thrashed the Cheetahs 33-0 while the Force defeated the Lions 22-19.
Story by: Akuila Cama
Source: Superxv.com
