Kicking is the major talking point after the Chiefs ground out a 24-22 win over the Sharks in New Plymouth.
Aaron Cruden finally returned to taking shots at goal while his team booted away plenty of possession.
It's a sight the All Blacks selectors would have been happy to see.
"They've been talking about it all season, just asking when it's going to happen. But there has been no pressure from them," says Cruden.
Cruden is arguably the favourite for the All Blacks number 10 jersey, and took back the kicking duties from Damien McKenzie.
"Working back after ACL reconstruction last year it took more time than I thought it was going to," he says.
He slotted five from seven against the Sharks for 14 of the Chiefs' 24 points.
"I think in the couple that I missed I tensed up a little bit and tried to strike it too hard, so a few really good learnings for me."
Early in the game it didn't look like his goal-kicking would be as vital, but the Chiefs struggled to execute their master plan.
"We knew they'd kick a lot and we wanted to win the kicking battle and maybe attack off the second kick. We just kicked too much and kicked poorly," says Chiefs coach Dave Rennie.
The Sharks came back with three tries and the Chiefs held on for a scrappy win, to make sure they won't be kicked off the top of the table.
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