The Western Force continues to push teams all the way but fails to come up with the killer blow, going down to the Chiefs 24-14.
It was a gutsy effort from the hosts, fighting their way back to level the scores, only to watch a late bonus point disappear.
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So what did we learn?
The Chiefs' experience was the tipping point in this match, as they survived an almighty scare.
A yellow card to Ollie Norris with 18 minutes to go had the visitors in serious danger defending a seven-point lead on their line; however, this is where they went to another level.
They defended well against the turnover and then controlled the territory to prevent the Force from getting close to the line.
It was a crucial win for the Chiefs, who now travel home to face a Waratahs team full of confidence.
The Western Force have proven their toughness after pushing the Chiefs all the way.
They made close to 100 tackles more than their opposition, with Nick Champion de Crespigny (23 tackles), Vaiolini Ekuasi (20), Tom Robertson and Brandon Paenga-Amosa (both 17) digging deep.
But they let the Chiefs through too often, too early, as they spent way too long defending their own line.
This, along with a lack of breakdown pressure, hurt them, with a desperate goal-line pilfer from Henry Robertson their only turnover of the night.
What's clear, though, is they are a much better side than their record (1-5) suggests, with the Queensland Reds needing to be on guard.
Darby Lancaster’s spark in attack was telling for a Force side that struggled to break down the Chiefs.
His grubber and re-gather is becoming a trademark play as he nearly scored twice, forcing desperate scramble saves from the visitors.
He looked a threat whenever he touched the ball but the Force couldn’t create much outside of the one-cap Wallaby.
The return of Dylan Pietsch and the impending debut of Zac Lomax will help fix that.
On Lomax, he gave a bit more of an insight into his Force future during the half-time chat on the broadcast.
It seems wing will be his position of choice, with the former NRL star mentioning Kurtley Beale as one of the main people taking him under his wing.
The debut date is still to be confirmed, but it’d be fitting if it were at Suncorp Stadium next Saturday.
If not that, a debut in Fiji against the Drua would be a baptism of fire.
The 30th anniversary of Super Rugby has had it all, with a commentator change adding to the competition's unpredictable nature.
Poor Sean Maloney put everything into last night’s Brumbies-Waratahs thriller and his voice paid for it as he tried to soldier through.
A 26-phase attack from the Chiefs proved the end of his vocals as Andrew Swain came in to replace him after the opening quarter.
From power delays to lightning storms, Super Rugby keeps on delivering.
Rest up, Seany.
