Clouding the certainty is the draw factor, with several top six contenders still having a game in hand to make their case. All coaches admit their last games are still vital.
Leadership reactions to round 13 games were:
Crusaders 19 Chiefs 35
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan
"It was a pleasing win. It is a tough place to come, and it was going to take lots of moments, for 80 minutes, to get the job done. I was proud of the way the lads bounced back from a disappointment last week."
Although down 3-19, he felt they had some control of the game.
"We were making them have to make lots of tackles and use up a bit of juice. When they got down to our end, we didn't make them work as hard, and they got some well-executed tries.
"It was nice to get that one just before half-time and swing a bit of momentum or, at least, bring the scoreboard back closer.
"But we felt at half-time that our work would pay dividends later in the wing, and [also] because the wind was probably more of a factor than what it looked like.
"We got beaten up last weekend [17-35 to the Hurricanes] and that didn't sit well with anybody, and to get the job done down here, we had to stand up physically, both sides of the ball.
[No8] Wallace Sititi has that little X factor and the ability to create something a little special for himself or to give an offload to someone else.
"I had question marks around his ability to get through 80 minutes, but he had some good impacts on the game, supported by others. It was a collective performance.
"The Crusaders still have a game in hand. It's going to come down to the wire, and all we can do is control what's in front of us."
Crusaders coach Rob Penney
"The Chiefs were really good, deserved their victory, dominated large facets of the game and put us under pressure. Our response now is critical. The Chiefs taught us a lesson, and how we respond is going to be critical.
"There was a combination of things. Physicality is part of it, but how they were able to go through us, particularly towards the back end of it. They were ruthless in how they did that, and we couldn't counter it. It's been such a strength for us. We were below where we needed to be.
"We did some good things when we got hard on attack, but we were still making far too many tackles early on. We spilt the first kick-off receipt, we got penalised and another kick-off receipt, and we dropped another one.
"We did some really wonderful defensive efforts in that first 40, but we weren't as clinical as we needed to be. There were moments there where we looked vulnerable.
"And then the Chiefs scoring right on half-time opens a window of confidence for them, and they are notorious for going hard after half-time. We expected that, but weren't able to combat it.
"Our performance overall was better than the last time we played them [lost 24-49]. They don't have a psychological advantage.
"We've got a massive battle against the 'Tahs [Waratahs] to ensure that we establish ourselves in some semblance of the top, and we're still masters of our destiny.
"[Damian] McKenzie's a world-class player and he exploited us beautifully, saw when there were weaknesses and there often is when either kicks aren't effective enough where you turn ball over and vulnerable situations and people having to try to cover from the front to get to the back. But he exploited that well."
Drua 5 Blues 34
Blues coach Vern Cotter
"It was a solid, well-constructed performance. There was a lot of focus and concentration around trying to play as best we could. There were some smarts out there as well. You need that combination of effort, attitude and smarts to get a result.
"The Drua were tough, and the players said afterwards that it was a tough game. But our boys did what they needed to do.
"Now we have to prepare for Moana Pasifika. It starts with getting back home, getting good recovery, getting sleep and then preparing for another physical battle. We know in these games, at the end of the season, everything's about the next 80 minutes.
"We've got to use that time wisely and collectively create that cohesion, even when we're not together, thinking about being together and what we're going to do for the next couple of days for the game and the weekend. It is a big test for us next week.
Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu
"In the first half, we got our set piece right, got penalties and got in the right part of the field, which led to us getting some tries. In the second half, they were able to disrupt our lineout quite a bit, so we had to change it up and get some pay there. It was a very set-piece focus for us. We didn't want to kick the ball too much.
"It was a good performance, but we can still look for things to improve on. In the second half, our set-piece let us down quite a bit and let them back in to put some pressure on our defence.
"Moana Pasifika from the last time we played them have improved quite a bit. We'll be expecting them to step up again. They'll lift against us."