Super Rugby leaders the Chiefs will look first and foremost for victory rather than go chasing a potentially decisive bonus point against a desperate Hurricanes side on Friday night.
With one round to go, the Chiefs will finish top of the table and get home advantage throughout the playoffs if they leave Wellington with a bonus-point win.
Without the extra point, they can still be overtaken by the Stormers on countback.
If the South Africans get the full quota of five points against Melbourne in Cape Town on Sunday morning, they will edge out the Chiefs because they have more wins.
Five-eighth Aaron Cruden says pursuing the four-try bonus point won’t be the Chiefs’ primary goal against his former team.
“We just know we have to win, plain and simple,” he said.
“Teams that have tried to chase a bonus point have probably got a little bit loose at times and not always come out on the right side of the ledger.”
The Chiefs are backing up from a 28-21 defeat to a fired-up Crusaders side, who kept their own playoff hopes alive.
There will also be plenty of motivation for the Hurricanes, who can sneak into a playoff position with an upset win over the Chiefs while hoping a few higher-ranked teams lose their final-round matches.
The match will pit Cruden in a tantalising head-to-head battle with another talented young playmaker and fellow All Black Beauden Barrett.
It will also be one of the last times in the foreseeable future that he lines up next to Sonny Bill Williams, who is returning to the NRL in 2013 via a stint in Japanese club rugby.
Cruden said Williams, who switched to rugby four years ago, would leave the game just as he was really understanding it.
“For me, it’s been good all year, looking outside and knowing that, if I’m in a bit of trouble, I can throw it to the big guy and he’s going to get us go-forward,” he said.
“He’s had an outstanding year and full credit to him. He’s really put in the hard yards.”