The Chiefs and their stellar backline have shaken off a slow start in Dunedin to hand the Highlanders another error-ridden loss and keep their unbeaten season alive.
The Highlanders started strongly under the Forsyth Barr Stadium roof with plenty of possession and made it count with an early score to Ethan de Groot.
But the good times came to a grinding halt for the Highlanders and their faithful with errors giving the Chiefs a chance and with the form they're in, that's all they needed.
Emoni Narawa, Shaun Stevenson and Anton Lienert-Brown - the latter making a welcome and promising comeback for his 100th Super Rugby cap - all scored in the span of just eight electric minutes from the Chiefs and suddenly what was a 7-0 lead for the Highlanders was now a 21-7 deficit.
Despite the flurry of tries, the Highlanders showed spirit and dug their heels in to slow the momentum, grinding their way back into the contest with some hard-fought metres as the Chiefs' renowned defence was put to the test for another week.
It eventually lead to a pile of bodies on the Chiefs' line with the Highlanders claiming a try but replays showed an impressive effort from Brad Weber - again pushing his case for All Blacks selection in a hotly-contested halfback battle - had managed to hold the ball up.
The Highlanders soldiered on though and were eventually awarded with their own halfback and club talisman Aaron Smith sniping a gap from the ruck near the line to score.
The Chiefs wouldn't let the hosts have the last laugh though with Damian McKenzie, spending a majority of the match at fullback after a backline shuffle to cover an early injury to wing Peniasi Malimali, using broken play off a Highlanders kick to spark a counter-attack that ended with a George Dyer try moments before the break.
It wasn't the first or the last time McKenzie made the Highlanders pay for wayward kicks with the star playmaker putting in another impressive performance that at this point will be almost impossible for Ian Foster to overlook.
Foster will also likely be having a serious think about Stevenson and Narawa in his backs with the pair putting up more head-turning performances.
If Dyer's score just before the half, which gave the Chiefs a 28-14 lead at the break, was a rough blow to the Highlanders' chances, Daniel Rona's first try moments after the restart was the follow-up hook to the body that seemingly dazed the hosts. Sure enough, McKenzie was involved in both.
Rona went on to score a brace in the second half, the second a superb 90m effort after scooping a loose ball and sprinting down the right wing to effectively end any hopes of a comeback.
A Weber try minutes later was the final nail in the coffin although Shannon Frizzell managed a consolation try late in the piece to reward those who had stayed for the final hooter.
It marks another big win for the Chiefs but despite the scoreline, the Highlanders will have one positive to take away from this game in knowing they started strongly against the tournament favourites.
Unfortunately, as it has a lot this season, their own errors were what hurt them the most and the Chiefs - and particularly McKenzie - made them pay time and time again.
It means the Chiefs continue to fly high in the standings with 10 wins from 10 games played while the Highlanders are barely hanging on to eighth with their 3-7 record, although they could fall as far as 11th should the Rebels, Force and Fijian Drua all snare upset wins this weekend.
This late in the season, that could be the difference between a shot at glory in the knockouts and wondering what could have been.
Highlanders 28 [Ethan De Groot, Aaron Smith, Sam Gilbert, Shannon Frizell tries; Sam Gilbert 4 cons]
Chiefs 52 [Daniel Rona 2, Shaun Stevenson, Emoni Narawa, George Dyer, Anton Lienert-Brown, Brad Weber tries; Damian McKenzie 7 cons, pen]
HT: 14-28
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