Yes, the Blues were that good in losing 12-11 at Suncorp Stadium, and yes, the Crusaders were that bad in beating the Melbourne-based Rebels 30-26 in Christchurch.
It is a remarkable turnaround for both teams. Sir John Kirwan, who inherited a broken Blues franchise last year which he bolstered with youth and enthusiasm, not to mention a canny coach in Sir Graham Henry, promised a rollercoaster of highs and lows this season, but he is in charge of an outfit travelling a damn sight more consistently than Todd Blackadder's men.
The Blues sit in fifth place on the table, two points and two places above the Crusaders, who haven't yet had their second bye and the four points which go with it. The Blues also have yet to travel to South Africa.
Blackadder's men have the easier run-in. They play four of their next seven matches at home, but apart from very good performances against the Bulls, Kings and Stormers on successive weekends, they have shown little that suggests they will win their first title since 2008.
They have made the slow start and aggressive backlash into something of an art form over recent years but not this season.
Having lost to the Blues and Hurricanes early on they had their three-game revival but then dropped games to the Sharks and Force.
The expected statement of intent never really arrived at home against the Highlanders, although their forwards played very well. Against the Rebels it seemed like they simply expected to win and for the pieces to fall into place by themselves. The only highlights were the scrum performance and Tom Taylor's goalkicking.
The Blues, on the other hand, seem to have enthusiasm as their default mode. Their narrow defeat to the Reds gained them only one point but it would have won them many more admirers. Their adherence to the possession-based game plan was remarkable and is a lot harder to achieve than it looks - just ask the Crusaders, who had to dig extremely deep to overtake the Rebels in the final stages at AMI Stadium.
The Blues routinely recycled the ball through 20-plus phases, the Crusaders consistently gave up possession in a performance lacking in passion.
Kirwan's men were outstanding in beating the Crusaders at Eden Park in early March and comfortably did the double against the Hurricanes.
The Crusaders have been accused of being flat-track bullies recently - capable of beating only weaker teams - but in reality the opposite probably applies. It appears they are inspired only by the biggest of challenges - their efforts in reaching the final despite the earthquakes and constant travel of 2011 is a testament to that. They remain in touch of the leaders in seventh place, and, with Dan Carter back (although not Kieran Read), they have the personnel to trouble any opposition. Their biggest challenge, it seems, is themselves.
Meanwhile, the Blues, with veterans Piri Weepu and Ali Williams finding form and youngsters such as Charles Piutau and Steven Luatua shining, travel merrily on, each week a voyage of discovery, burdened by neither history nor the weight of expectation.
