The Hurricanes were relentless in their bonus point 41-14 win against the Highlanders at Sky Stadium.
The Highlanders were kept scoreless in the second half and were almost unseen in the 22.
They will now either play the Blues or the Brumbies next week depending on the results of the Blues v Chiefs and Force v Brumbies games tonight.
Windy Wellington lived up to its name and conditions made the kicking game rough for both sides.
It was the Highlanders who started strong and secured an early 50-22.
They worked a nice set play with hooker Henry Bell taking the ball to ground.
Billy Harmon picked it up and dished off to put centre Matt Whaanga into space, who got the legs pumping and got the ball up against the posts to score.
That gave the Highlanders a 7-0 lead in the opening three minutes.
But then the Hurricanes, who currently sit top of the table, played to their strengths with territory and rolled ahead.
Salesi Rayasi scored his first of the day and Du’Plessis Kirifi and TJ Perenara scored soon after.
The Highlanders got something going when halfback James Arscott kept the maul alive and moved forward.
The ball then landed with big Fabian Holland, who was outstanding defensively at the breakdown, who went over to make it a 10-point game.
From a Highlanders goal line drop out, the Hurricanes showed their power to keep forging ahead.
Kirifi showed his strength to drive his legs and then stretch out to the line to score.
It was a double blow for the Highlanders when Connor Garden-Bachop was yellow carded for head contact on Devan Flanders in the buildup.
The Highlanders held up the Hurricanes maul right on halftime for the Hurricanes to lead 29-14 at the break.
Coach Clarke Dermody yanked his entire front row at halftime – including Ethan de Groot in his 50th game – and lock Will Tucker failed his HIA and was replaced by Tom Sanders.
The game turned into a kicking contest early in the second as neither side really got their counter attack going.
Eventually the Hurricanes made their way into the 22, and while they would usually make no mistake, the Highlanders applied early pressure for the Hurricanes to spill the ball out the right.
But when they found their flair in the 22 next, they made no mistake.
Jordie Barrett made a dazzling break down the right wing, and what followed was some stunning running rugby.
Highlanders second five Sam Gilbert was yellow carded next, leaving the Highlanders down to 14 again.
The Highlanders just never really got their attacking game going in the second half and were kept scoreless as a result.
The Hurricanes counter attack lit up again and the Highlanders fell off several tackles trying to bring down Barrett.
Billy Proctor burst down the side, kicked it forward and Finn Hurley commendably chased it down – with Hurricanes players breathing down him – and pushed it down for a 5m scrum to the Hurricanes.
The Highlanders left a gap defensively on the blindside, and flanker Brayden Iose was too powerful off the base of the scrum and scored.
There appeared to be no stopping the Hurricanes and Riley Higgins was in to score, until Hurley came screaming across to tackle him into touch.
Young Hurley was fearless at the back for the Highlanders and again showed what a bright future he has ahead.
Another Southland player Hayden Michaels made his debut off the bench for the Highlanders.
Earlier, the Fijian Drua won big at home with their 40-19 win against the Melbourne Rebels.
The win secured the Drua’s spot at seventh and the Rebels snagged the final playoffs spot.
That extinguished the defending champions the Crusaders' hopes of making a comeback for a playoffs spot and will see them finish ninth.
