All the talk at Hurricanes training on Monday was about whether former All Black wing Julian Savea might get on the field for them in the last two weeks of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Back from a two-year stint in France, Savea trained with the side for the first time on Monday, but assistant coach Cory Jane was also keeping an eye on the danger the Chiefs represent in their last game of the season.
While the Hamilton-based team had been winless in the competition, they had been close losers in all their games. They would be looking to come to Wellington on Saturday to take something from their season.
"They haven't lost by much and that's the scary thing. They'll be hurting because they've had a few losses but they have been pretty close, and they've been physical, and they've been competing.
"They'll want to come down here and finish on a high so we've got to be ready to get off this bye we've just had and get focused so we can go out and perform well at home and not let them get that opportunity," he said.
Jane said Savea just needed to go out and train and assist the side's defence, he said.
It would be challenging to pick up the calls and systems of the side within two weeks, but that was something rugby players should be able to do quickly.
"It's a massive part of playing sport. There'll be a bit of homework to do, but I don't think that will be a challenge at all.
"The best part is he can come out and compete and whatever happens, happens, in terms of if he plays this week or if he plays next week, or if he gets a contract next year. The best thing he can do is come out here, all guns blazing and see what happens," he said.
An extra advantage created by his presence was the continued competition for places in the wake of the departure for France of Ben Lam. The side had several players capable of playing both wings and Savea would add to the competition for places.
Jane said there had been plenty of clarity demonstrated by the team in recent weeks on both sides of the ball.
He said the lack of a final had been known by all sides when they started. What it required was to get into a position to win the championship, and they had two opportunities to keep winning.
The chances of heading the Crusaders was unlikely as they were out in front. However, the Hurricanes had an opportunity to win their next two games and to see what happened from that.
First five-eighths Jackson Garden-Bachop said the opportunity to play more in the absence of Beauden Barrett had been enjoyable this season.
"[With] time in the saddle at first-five things start to slow down a bit, time on the ball, making decisions becomes a bit easier so a lot of experience I've been enjoying building combinations with guys inside and outside me," he said.
One of those links is with fullback Jordie Barrett as they can interchange left and right first receivers.
But Garden-Bachop said the biggest factor in their combination was the communication skills Barrett brought as while Garden-Bachop was concentrating on the ball inside him, Barrett could operate as his eyes for where space was.
"Having him bark at me makes it easy to pull the trigger on things," he said.