The Chiefs won the New Zealand Super Rugby conference on Saturday when the Hurricanes beat the Crusaders in Christchurch.

The Crusaders were edged out 22-23 by the Hurricanes so they currently sit on 52 points and are in second place in the New Zealand conference.

The Chiefs have a 10 point lead on 62 points but even if the Crusaders win both of their remaining matches with bonus points the Chiefs will still lead the NZ Conference by virtue of their wins.

The Chiefs have 12 Super Rugby wins already so even if the Crusaders draw level on points with two bonus point victories they would still only have 11 Super Rugby victories.

Under the new Super Rugby rules the number of wins has a higher value than the points differential.