The chance to virtually wrap up Super Rugby regular season honours isn't driving the Hurricanes in their table-topping showdown with the Chiefs.
Instead, the hosts are motivated to ensure Saturday's game won't be the last in Wellington for a number of players departing for offshore contracts.
Coach Chris Boyd said it was hard to ignore the ladder implications of the heavyweight New Zealand conference clash.
His team can pull at least 13 points clear of the pack with four games to play if victorious but the opposite result could haul the second-placed Chiefs to within five points of top spot.
"This has assumed some significance for both sides but we're concentrating on the fact it's the last round robin game for us at home," Boyd said.
"For a number of guys it will be the last round robin game they play (in Wellington) and that's been our focus really."
The Hurricanes have a home game against the Highlanders in Napier in round 17 but long-serving players such as All Blacks Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Jeremy Thrush and Ben Franks won't play again at Westpac Stadium this year unless they earn a home play-off game.
The spotlight has fallen this week on Smith and Nonu, who will combine for the 50th time in the midfield, matching the half-century of appearances they have achieved at Test level.
Nonu compared their relationship to a marriage and hoped they can hold firm in their high-profile duel with Chiefs opposites Sonny Bill Williams and Charlie Ngatai.
The Nonu-Williams clash is being billed as important in determining the All Blacks pecking order at second five-eighth this year.
"Every game is a big match up whoever you are opposite but I guess everyone has it in their minds about me coming up against Sonny," Nonu said.
"You can't doubt he's a great player. He's had a great two seasons in rugby league and it's great to have him back in the country."
Five-eighth James Marshall sat out the second half of Thursday's training, nursing a knee injury which had placed him in doubt for the game.
However, Boyd says the rest was precautionary and he was confident the man standing in for injured playmaker Beauden Barrett would be fit to play 80 minutes.
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