For those at the top of the ladder pressure is on to secure home advantage while three teams are in contention for the final place in the top six.

Comments from coaches and captains from Round 15 games at the weekend were:

Chiefs 85 Moana Pasifika 7

Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan

“It was dominant, and a lot of pleasing stuff reflected our preparation, even during the bye week. We were impressed with Moana Pasifika’s performance to take down the Blues, and our performance reflected our preparation.

“They could recycle possession with their big ball carriers on top of you, so we did a great job getting in front of them and stopping that momentum when they got a few opportunities right to the final whistle.

“There’s always the risk that you build a big lead and then start to get a bit loose and invite the opposition back in. We’ve experienced that before and weren’t happy to go through that again. It was great the way we responded.

“Whatever the outcome of the Highlanders game against the Crusaders was, it wouldn’t have changed what we need when we go down there [Dunedin].

“They are a good young side. We’ve been here before but Jamie [Joseph] and his crew will make sure that his boys are there this week.”

On wing, Leroy Carter

“He’s been consistent. He wants to have the ball in his hands and competes for everything. He runs hard. You see his competitiveness when he’s running in close quarters. He probably thinks he can run through brick walls and does a fairly decent job of doing that.

“He scored some nice tries and did a lot of unseen work off the ball that we want to see from our wings. He’s doing an awesome job.”

Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson

“There was alertness from everybody, some good listening, good responses and good actions. It felt like we were all moving in one direction, which is the goal. You want to be cohesive, and tonight was a reflection of that.

“It’s good to see what you plan for and have it transferred onto the field. There are plenty of things we talked about that came out strong in the game. I was pleased with how relentless and ruthless we were. We were able to keep going again and again, keep doing those small things and it ended up looking really flash, but it’s a product of the smaller things done well.”

Moana Pasifika coach Tana Umaga

“You’ve got to give your praise to the Chiefs. The way they played, they didn’t give us an inch. When we tried to take a few of them, they kept coming back at us. We didn’t fire a shot, which is disappointing.

“There is going to be a question around how we come back. The boys are hurt and feel we let ourselves down by being unable to fight. We’ve got to learn from that. The Chiefs showed us what the next level will take, making the top six.

“They’ve put everyone on notice that they’re going to be tough to take on whoever gets them in the playoffs.

“We need to step up, lift our level. It was great to get to this point and compete for a top-six place, but we have to lift.

“We took a lot of emotion from last week’s game [against the Blues] but we felt we broached that. We talked about parking that. Being successful last week gave us an opportunity to get into the playoffs so that was motivating. We had a good working week but as the skip said, we’ve got to figure out why we could not come back.”

Moana Pasifika captain Ardie Savea

“It was a great lesson for everyone about our mental state when we’re under pressure like that. How do we get out of it and find solutions to get back in the game?

“We tried a lot of things, but the Chiefs were too good and squeezed us. They’re ruthless all around the park. It’s a good smack on the nose for us.

“What is the team willing to do in these next seven days to keep our season alive? I want them to hold the feeling and get some fuel for this week. We want to earn another week by doing that.”

Crusaders 15 Highlanders 12

Crusaders coach Rob Penney

“There was lots of effort and courage but not great accuracy, and we were inconsistent.

“It is hard to attack when your legs are gone after making so many tackles. That’s a challenge for us and a great one because we’re digging into it more and more each week. We have some solutions.

“We can still beaver away and get the application from the training track and whiteboard to the field, and we’ll make some improvements.

“You’ve got to give some credit to the Highlanders. Pressure does that to people. We’ll learn and grow; we’ve got a capable group.

“They are frustrated but also rapt for Drummy [halfback Mitch Drummond] and Dallas McLeod to celebrate their 150 games and 50 [respectively] with the victory.

“You would like the combination on both sides of the ball operating as efficiently as you can, and we’ve started the season so well on attack and built our defence. The boys are humming on defence, and it takes great defence to win a title.

“Bit credit to Toddy [Matt Todd] and how he’s got the defence operating. The boys are buying into what he’s doing there, and it’s a pleasure to watch.

On prop, Tamaiti Williams scoring the winning try

“He’s a fabulous player. He’s got a big grin on his face. He’s probably one of the world’s best looseheads and proved he can do 80 minutes [backing up] at tighthead. The front row is working well.

Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph

“I feel like I’m repeating myself every game day. It was a short week for us. We had a weekend off, simplified things and got the boys excited to come and play a good game of rugby. I’m proud of how they did that, like last week and the week before.

“As a coaching team, you feel your job is to prepare the guys to go out there and play the kind of rugby they can play. We played that much of the time, but it’s the small moments that are grabbing us, and against a good side like the Crusaders, they made us pay.

“I’m disappointed for the players. They are tough lessons we’ll have to learn. 

“There were 18 points that we left out there from missing kicks. In the end, 18 could have been a good game for us. We’ve got to do the business.

“Disappointment is different to morale. Morale is pretty high. They’re young and understand where they are disappointed because they’re taking this big teams right to the edge and not being able to get a win.”

On halfback Folau Fakatava’s game

“He was out for seven rounds with a hamstring injury that didn’t go away. For a team like us, losing a quality player like Folau, one of our All Blacks, it’s impossible to create confidence within the team when you’re losing your key players. Having him back to his best is good. 

“It’s a pity that his return has been towards the end of the season.”

Reds 27 Hurricanes 31

Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw

“We know it’s a tough place to come and win with huge respect for the Reds and how they’ve been playing. We knew how tough it was going to be.

“At this stage of the year, it’s not always about winning by more or looking for bonus points; it’s more about trying to win. The composure was encouraging. It was a tight battle and an enjoyable game.

“We’re starting to believe in what we’re trying to achieve. We had a slow start to the year with injuries. We’ve picked up a couple in the last few weeks, but we’re confident in our depth, and we’ve just got to trust each other and try to be better every week.

“We’ve had a big test over the last month and we’ve come through it, and we’ll have another next week with Moana Pasifika.”

Hurricanes co-captain Du’Plessis Kirifi

“The actions from our group reaffirmed what we already know about each other and that we work hard for each other. At the minimum, we found a way [to win].

“We’re going to dig deep, and we’re going to push through. We got the job done, and I’m proud of how we did that.

“It’s a pleasure playing with Billy [Proctor], as it is everyone in our team. The calibre of player that he is is not with the ball in hand more than anything; it’s what he does away from the ball, how he makes everyone around him better and brings people with him.

“He’s an exceptional leader on the field, making everyone confident and calm. He’s a strong ball carrier, and deceptively so, at times.”