FULLTIME: HURRICANES 32 - 31 CHIEFS
80mins: CHIEFS TRY - BOSHIER: Chiefs keen to throw it around now as fulltime approaches. They win the penalty before both team's big boys get into bit of biff. Fifita's shown the yellow card and the Chiefs have the lineout just inside the Canes half.
Alaimalo charges onto a short ball from McKenzie and makes good metres up the middle. Stevenson has acrack and the Chiefs are just five metres out. McKenzie fires it long to Karpik but Goosen HAMMERS him in the tackle before the Chiefs win the penalty.
Chiefs looking to bash their way over and Boshier's got the try! So they'll have the final act of the game but their Super Rugby season is over.
79mins: CHIEFS TRY - MCKENZIE: Alaimalo gets the ball, throws the dummy, puts the foot down and he's through! He runs a further 30 metres before linking up with McKenzie on his inside the first-five skips out of one tackle before going over for the try.
77mins: Polwart finds Parete at the lineout and the Chiefs look to attack up the middle. The ball comes free for Savea though and the winger kicks ahead and it rolls into touch around the Chiefs 22m.
75mins: Ball's deflected the Hurricanes way at the lineout before Perenara kicks but Wainui's there to run it right back. Hurricanes defence are rushing the Chiefs as Karpik is thumped hard in a two-man tackle before it's turned over.
73mins: Perenara tries the kick ahead for Savea to chase but Alaimalo's back there and takes the tackle. Chiefs keen to play it out of their own 22m and Karpik's in space down the left wing! He gives it to Lienert-Brown on the inside and he races ahead before being dragged down just five out. Chiefs trying to go quickly but concede the penalty.
70mins: HURRICANES TRY - LAM: Laumape charges ahead and Wainui makes a great tackle around the legs to keep him out. Hurricanes have huge numbers out wide, Jordie sees Lam in space, gives it his winger after a little delay and he's over for an easy try.
68mins: Laumape and Fifita make a couple of really strong runs up the middle and the Hurricanes are just five metres out once again! Perenara throws the dummy and goes close. Alaimalo rushes up in the defence and knocks on the in tackle.
66mins: Perenara kicks long to pin the Chiefs back well inside their own half. Alaimalo and Wainui combine well to get them out of danger before McKenzie clears and it sails into touch.
64mins: Perenara's rushed as he kicks but gets it away for McKenzie to counter and he's through! Cover defence closing in so he links up with Retallick to charge ahead. Hurricanes looking to turn it over but concede the penalty.
62mins: HURRICANES TRY - PERENARA: Perenara looks up, ignores a charging Laumape, decides to dart himself, goes low and powers his way over for the try! His second! Hurricanes lead out to more than one score now.
60mins: Stevenson takes it in nicely from Beauden's 22m dropout before charging ahead. McKenzie tries finding Parete in the midfield but the Hurricanes up to meet him and force the knock on.
Barrett's gone straight up the middle, finds Savea on the right and the Hurricanes are just five metres out! Jordie puts his head down for the line but is held up! Canes scrum.
58mins: Beauden finds Savea with the cross field kick but Ngatai's read it well and makes the tackle. Hurricanes still in possession as Lousi makes a nice pass to find Beauden. They're not really going anywhere so Perenara pumps it long.
55mins: Milner-Skudder's being forced to come off the field. Looks to be for blood so Goosen's made his way into the centres. Beauden lines up the penalty and sends it straight down the middle.
53mins: Weber does really well to get low and take the kick-off on his finger tips. It comes for McKenzie and he sends it down field before Jordie kicks it straight to Ngatai. He puts boot to ball and finally there's a break in kicking as Milner-Skudder steps a couple before Chiefs concede the penalty.
50mins: CHIEFS TRY - LIENERT-BROWN: Scrum's finally steady enough for it to come free for Weber, he fires it to Ngatai, he sends it deep with the kick and it's bounced for Boshier! He charges ahead and the Chiefs are just out 10 out. They've got huge numbers out wide, Lienert-Brown gets it, throws the dummy and ducks one before going over for the try,
48mins: Hurricanes building steadily, asking their forwards to make bash their way up the middle. They're just 10 out but the Chiefs are showing good defence. Laumape fires it to Fatialofa but the lock knocks on.
46mins: Jordie bumps off McKenzie, ball comes free for Lam to run into space, gives it to Savea, he puts the grubber through to chase but it rolls into touch about 10 out from the try line. Chiefs get it back and McKenzie clears, but only as far as the 22m.
44mins: Fatialofa this time wins the ball for the Hurricanes and look to drive their way out of danger. Retallick's come through the maul and is penalised for collapsing and the Chiefs have the lineout on halfway.
42mins: Boshier steals the Hurricanes lineout and Weber clears it into touch. He fell quite hard and is still down. He finally makes his way back to his feet and will carry on.
HALFTIME: HURRICANES 17 - 10 CHIEFS: Great half of footy it has to be said. Just when it seems like one side's got the upper hand, the other hit right back. The Hurricanes have the lead but the Chiefs have not been without their own chances. The pace has calmed down from what was a frantic opening 20 minutes. Should be a cracker of a second half!
40mins: Weber has a dart and makes good metres before linking up with Boshier on his inside. Chiefs inside the Canes 22m. Messam makes a strong charge. Chiefs penalised for holding on and Perenara kicks it out for halftime. Lam and Messam exchanging a few words.
38mins: Retallick tries to find his support player on the wrap around, there's nobody there however and the ball bounces free for Milner-Skudder to pounce onto but fumbled it in his attempt.
36mins: Laumape absolutely destroys Lienert-Brown in the tackle! Chiefs trying to get it back but concede the penalty. Beauden tries the bomb inside the Chiefs 22m but Alaimalo does brilliantly to get up, grab it and call for the mark. Chiefs go quickly from the 22m restart and Stevenson's away! He's up over halfway, tries a no-look pass but it goes into touch.
34mins: HURRICANES TRY - PERENARA: Ball comes back for the Hurricanes, Perenara looks wide, decides against passing and darts for the try line! He looks to be over but we're going upstairs. He was tackled short but with two players on him, reached for the try line and looks to have scored. And it's given! Try time.
32mins: Ngatai looks to bash his way through but Laumape's right on him, holds him up with some help from his teammates and force the turnover for a Canes scrum just five metres out, straight in front of the goal posts.
30mins: Fatialofa wins the lineout for the Hurricanes and they're just five metres out. Perenara finds a charging Barrett and he goes close! They look to go quickly but the ref calls knock on for a Chiefs scrum.
28mins: Ngatai boots it straight down the middle for Lam to counter. Perenara spots space behind the Chiefs defence, kicks through but McKenzie cleans it up well before conceding the penalty at the breakdown for not releasing.
26mins: Thomson goes blindside from the scrum and makes a good run. Hurricanes go wide, Jordie does well to ride the tackle and offload to Milner-Skudder. Lam charges, frees it up nicely for Milner-Skudder but his kick through goes into touch.
24mins: Chiefs allow the kick-off to bounce and Weber cleans up before linking up with Wainui. Ngatai clears down field and Milner-Skudder returns it before McKenzie sets off on a probing run.
22mins: Hurricanes struggling to cope with the Chiefs relentless pressure and concede the penalty for being offside. McKenzie lines up the shot at goal right it front and sends it through.
20mins: Retallick gets up to win another lineout and the Chiefs look to drive. Going nowhere once again so they break left for Ngatai to charge. They've been pushed back to the 22m. Ngatai throws the cutout ball to Messam and they're now just five out.
18mins: Riccitelli guilty of obstructing and concedes the penalty. Chiefs go short at the lineout but the Hurricanes read it well. Chiefs still have it, looking to barge their way though their forwards. Just five out. Pressure mounting and the Canes concede the penalty.
16mins: Retallick wins the lineout and the Chiefs try the drive. Not really going anywhere so Weber fires it to a charging Ngatai. Evan's up over him, steals it and Beauden puts the kick through for his backs to chase but it goes into touch.
14mins: Chiefs finding plenty of space down the left wing as Lienert-Brown and Alaimalo combine nicely. Hurricanes look to steal it at the breakdown but concede the penalty.
13mins: Hurricanes looking to play their way out of danger but the ball's come free the Chiefs way! Weber has a dart and they're just five or so metres out. Tu’inukuafe can't handle the halfback's pass and knocks on.
11mins: Weber's pass to Messam is a wild one and Messam knocks on for a Hurricanes scrum inside the Chiefs 22m. They to Savea but he's well contained by Weber. Ball's kicked through at the ruck and the Chiefs concede the penalty. Beauden lines up the easy shot at goal and sends it through.
8mins: CHIEFS TRY - WEBER: Chiefs putting it through the phases, making steady progress with each charge and they're up over halfway. They shift left and they've got numbers! Harris throws the dummy, he's in space, gives it to Stevenson and he fires it to Weber on the inside and the halfback's in!
6mins: Hurricanes look to put the shove on at the scrum and do so, but they're penalised for angling in and the Chiefs survive. They could easily be two tries down if not for a great cover tackle by Lienert-Brown on Savea.
4mins: Laumape knocks on so the Chiefs have scrum inside the Canes 22m. They go left and Weber throws it straight to Savea once again! The winger's intercepted another, he runs 60 metres before being caught from behind and knocking on. Just didn't have the legs that time.
2mins: HURRICANES TRY - SAVEA: McKenzie gets us underway and it's taken in by Perenara on the bounce and Wainui makes the tackle. Perenara tries to clear, it's charged but comes back their way. Perenara goes again and this time gets it away. McKenzie tries a LONG cutout pass, Savea spots it and intercepts! He sprints 50 metres before touching down under the sticks for the game's first try.
7:34pm: Teams making their way out of the sheds. Just moments away from kick-off.
7:33pm: Confirmed: Brad Shields and Wes Goosen will play. The Hurricanes skipper leads the team as usual, while the outside back's on the bench.
7:30pm: The winner of tonight's game will play the Crusaders or the Sharks. So potentially Julian Savea's last hit out at Wespac Stadium. Meanwhile, Hurricanes prop, Jeff To'omaga-Allen will play his 100th Super Rugby game.
7:25pm: Another tasty battle between Laumape and Ngatai awaits. Neither team short of quality in the backs.
7:22pm: The Chiefs head into tonight's game on a high, beating the Canes last week as well welcoming back Same Cane and Damian McKenzie.
7:20pm: We're finally here! Knockout footy as the Hurricanes and Chiefs battle it out for a spot in the semi-finals.
Kia ora and welcome to Westpac Stadium as the Hurricanes take on the Chiefs in the first Super Rugby quarter-final of the 2018 playoffs.
We bring you live streaming written commentary, (BE SURE TO REFRESH YOUR BROWSER), and all the action.
Commentary will start at 7:20pm.
Lineups
Hurricanes
15 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Jordie Barrett, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Blade Thomson, 7 Gareth Evans, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Michael Fatialofa, 3 Jeff To’omaga-Allen, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Toby Smith.
Replacements: 16 James O’Reilly, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Ben May, 19 Vaea Fifita, 20 Reed Prinsep, 21 Jamie Booth, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Wes Goosen/
Chiefs
15 Solomon Alaimalo, 14 Sean Wainui, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Charlie Ngatai (c), 11 Shaun Stevenson, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Liam Messam, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Lachlan Boshier, 5 Michael Allardice, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Nathan Harris, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe .
Replacements: 16 Liam Polwart, 17 Sam Prattley, 18 Jeff Thwaites, 19 Jesse Parete, 20 Mitch Karpik , 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Marty McKenzie, 23 Alex Nankivell.
Match officials
Referee: Referee Glen Jackson
Assistant Referees :Nick Briant. Paul Williams
TMO: Glenn Newman
Previous results
13 Jul 2018 Hurricanes v Chiefs 24-28 Hamilton
13 Apr 2018 Hurricanes v Chiefs 25-13 Wellington
09 Jun 2017 Hurricanes v Chiefs 14-17 Wellington
30 Jul 2016 Hurricanes v Chiefs 25-9 Wellington
23 Apr 2016 Hurricanes v Chiefs 27-28 Wellington
Head-to-head
Hurricanes $1.47 Chiefs $2.55
Pre-match banter: Hurricanes winger Julian Savea determined to depart a winner
Departing winger Julian Savea is looking to go out a winner and help the Hurricanes win another Super Rugby title before moving to France at the end of the season.
The 27-year-old confirmed last month he would leave New Zealand in a big-money move with French powerhouse Toulon on a two-year deal, but he has unfinished business to deal with first.
The 54-test All Black wants to leave a winner and to do that he will have to play an inflectional role in a tough playoff schedule which starts against the Chiefs on Friday night, with the victor to either face the Crusaders or the Sharks the following week for a spot in the final.
Savea isn't the only member of the club leaving at the end of the season, with captain Brad Shields, Blade Thomson, Michael Fatialofa and coach Chris Boyd all departing for the northern hemisphere.
With that in mind, Savea is determined to pay back the faith the side have shown him and get the Hurricanes their second Super Rugby crown.
"It's bittersweet. Excited to leave but it's also been a big part of my life, this club, and very special to my heart," Savea told reporters.
"I've given everything to them, and they've given so much back to me, so I'm pretty stoked and honoured to represent this club and, as I've said, this is probably the one jersey I'll miss most.
"My main focus has been on this week and if it's going to be my last week with the Canes or not."
Savea has been named to start on the right wing for tomorrow's encounter, having been on the bench when the Hurricanes met the Chiefs in Hamilton last Friday.
The Chiefs won that game 28-24 after leading 21-0 at halftime.
Savea said the Hurricanes couldn't afford to have another shaky start and let the Chiefs dominate early.
"We had a good second half. The boys showed some urgency, but we started slow.
"They were winning the races in the races in the first half, and we can't let them do that again, because there is no coming back from that.
"If we don't win, then we're out, so we have to come out on top."
Newshub.
