It’s the final round of the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific and the top eight to play in the quarter-finals are almost closed.
The Blues are guaranteed to finish first after Beauden Barrett’s goal sank the Brumbies for a spectacular 21-19 victory in Canberra on Saturday.
The order of the second to eighth will be decided this weekend, and the first four will host a quarterfinal the following week.
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TJ Perenara performing the Hurricanes haka on Saturday. Can your team reach the top four?
The Blues, Crusaders and Brumbies will play their quarterfinals at home and the fight for the quarter is between the Chiefs, Hurricanes and Waratahs.
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The Reds start the round in seventh place but cannot finish beyond the fifth.
The Highlanders finished last in the quarterfinals, but the Force could move up to eighth.
There are four competition points for a win, two for a draw if teams cannot be separated after the gold point, and bonus points are awarded for losing by seven points or less, or for scoring three tries. or more than the opponent.
If the teams are tied on competition points, the first decisive factor is the team with the most wins, then the difference in points, then more tries and then the attempts for and against.
After that, coin toss is unlikely.
Finishing as high as possible is key to the lead at home during the playoffs.
In the semifinals, the two best ranked teams will be the hosts. In the final, the best qualifier will play at home.
For example, if the Top Blues reach the finals, all of their playoff games will be at Eden Park.
First, the order of the quarterfinals must be decided. Here are the permutations of each team before the final phase of the regular season.
The quarterfinals as they are: Blues (1st) vs Highlanders (8th), Crusaders (2nd) vs Reds (7th), Brumbies (3rd) vs Waratahs (6th), Chiefs (4th) vs Hurricanes (5th).
Scoreboard (1-12): Blues 54, Crusaders 48, Brumbies 44, Chiefs 41, Hurricanes 38, Waratahs 37, Reds 35, Highlanders 22, Rebels 16, Force * 14, Fijian Drua 11, Moana Pasifika * 6. i Moana Pasifika have played one game less than the rest (12 to 13).
1st: Blues (played 13, won 12, lost 1; 54 points, +185 points difference)
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The Blues block out James Tucker advancing against the Brumbies.
Waratahs (A) Saturday, 9:45 p.m., Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
The Blues will finish first in the regular season standings and will host the team that finishes eighth in the quarterfinals. This will be the Highlanders or the Force.
2nd: Crusaders (played 13, won 10, lost 3; 48 points, +189 points difference)
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Leicester Fainga’anuku scored for the Crusaders against the Fijian Drua on Friday night.
Reds (H) Friday, 7:35 p.m., Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch
The Crusaders would secure second with a win over the Reds. Even a loss with a lost bonus point should also be enough because they are already four points ahead of the Brumbies in third place with a point difference of +81.
If they win the Brad Thorn Reds, they will receive them again in a quarter-final at Christchurch.
A loss to the Queensland team, with no bonus points lost, would open the door for the Brumbies to knock them down to third.
3rd: Brumbies (played 13, won 10, lost 3; 44 points, +108 points difference)
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The Brumbies are guaranteed a quarter-final at home as the top-ranked Australian team.
Moana Pacific (A) Saturday, 7:05 p.m., Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
The Brumbies could finish second, but would need the favor of the Reds on Friday night and then beat Moana Pasifika with a bonus point.
It will be the best ranked Australian team and will host a quarter-final, but they are likely to be third and face any team that finishes sixth.
It could be the Chiefs, Hurricanes, Waratahs or Reds, who will be willing to avoid a complicated trip to Canberra.
The Brumbies could also finish fourth if they lose to Moana Pasifika and the Chiefs defeat the Fiji Drua.
4th: Chiefs (played 13, won 9, lost 4; 41 points, +104 point difference)
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Quinn Tupaea was in good form as the Chiefs defeated the Force at Hamilton on Saturday.
Fijian Drua (A) Saturday, 3 p.m., Churchill Park, Lautoka
The Chiefs head to Fiji knowing that their destiny is in their own hands, but it will not be an easy task when a noisy and passionate local audience welcomes them for a historic occasion at Lautoka Churchill Park, the first Super match. Rugby to be played in Fiji. city.
He wins, and the Chiefs will finish in the top four and host a quarterfinal in Hamilton.
They lose, and they could be outscored by the Hurricanes or Waratahs and away from home in the first week of the playoffs.
They could finish third if they win and the Brumbies lose to Moana Pasifika, but they could fall as low as if they lose and the Hurricanes and Waratahs win.
There are many variables if the Chiefs are on the verge of a shocking defeat, but a win would remove all doubt about their goal of hosting a quarter-final.
5th: Hurricanes (played 13, won 8, lost 5; 38 points, +116 points difference)
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Billy Proctor scored Saturday in the Hurricanes’ victory over the Rebels.
Force (A) Sunday, 12:00 p.m., HBF Park, Perth
The Hurricanes need a favor from the Druas to sneak into the top four and will know if this is possible when they start against the Force in Perth.
If the Chiefs beat the Druas, the Canes can’t host a quarter-final at Wellington and would finish fifth and seventh.
If the Chiefs lose and the Waratahs, sixth, fail to beat the Blues, the Canes will only have to beat the Force to be in the top four.
Cannes are one point above the Waratahs with a +65 point difference that could be decisive to finish above them.
They could fall to seventh place if they lose to the Force and both the Waratahs and the Reds beat the Blues and Croats respectively.
6th: Waratahs (played 13, won 8, lost 5; 37 points, +51 points difference)
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Michael Hooper scored for the Waratahs in his victory over the Highlanders on Sunday.
Blues (H) Saturday, 9:45 p.m., Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
The Waratahs have outside chances to get the fourth, but they should beat the Blues with a bonus point and expect the Chiefs and Hurricanes to face Drua and Force respectively.
If the Chiefs defeat the Drua, the Waratahs can only finish in fifth place and cannot host a quarter-final in Sydney.
Even if the Chiefs lost to Fiji, if they won a losing bonus point, the Waratahs could not finish above them unless there was an unlikely change in the points difference.
They will finish higher than the Hurricanes if they improve their result, but there are many permutations to decide before their final position is clear and the bonus points will be in the equation.
7th: Reds (played 13, won 8, lost 5; 35 points, +28 points difference)
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Red winger Suliasi Vunivalu defending a Moana Pacifica defender.
Crusaders (A) Friday, 7:35 p.m., Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch
The Reds are not in the top four, but they can move up to fifth place if they beat the Crusaders and the Hurricanes and Waratahs lose to the Forces and Blues respectively.
An unlikely win on Friday night would wrap up the math for Saturday’s most decisive games for the playoff positions.
A defeat would secure a seventh and a quarterfinal resumption with the Crusaders at Christchurch the following week.
8th: Highlanders (played 13, won 4, lost 9; 22 points, +4 points difference)
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All Blacks midfielder Aaron Smith will be key for the Highlanders in their final weeks of the season.
Rebels (A) Sunday, 4 p.m., AAMI Park, Melbourne
The Highlanders will know if they need a result against the Rebels when they start in Melbourne.
They are three points ahead of the Forces, who have been given a chance after Tuesday night’s (48-28) victory over Moana Pasifika in Auckland.
For the Highlanders, a win against the Rebels would guarantee an eighth and a quarterfinal with the Blues in Auckland.
If the Force defeats the Hurricanes and the Highlanders lose to the Rebels, Tony Brown’s team could be eliminated from the last playoff spot, although they could be saved with a lost bonus point and a higher points difference. .
The Highlanders would reach the quarterfinals if the Force loses to the Hurricanes.
9th: Strength (played 13, won 3, lost 10; 19 points, point difference -122)
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Ryan McCauley of the Force is down against the Chiefs.
Hurricanes (H) Sunday, 12:00 p.m., HBF Park, Perth
The Force must win and improve on the Highlanders ’result.
If the Force defeats the Hurricanes and the rebels annoy the Highlanders, they could get the eight.
However, the bonus points would probably go into the equation.
They lose, and their playoff hopes are over. Win, and the Force will cheer the Rebels on Sunday.
The Force should reverse its tendency to lose against the Kiwis. They ended a streak of 25 straight defeats against New Zealand teams with Tuesday’s victory by bonus points over newcomer Moana Pasifika.
However, they have not won any of the five Kiwi teams established since the 2014 victory over the Chiefs in Perth.
10th: Rebels (played 13, won 3, lost 10; 16 points, -150 point difference)
Marty Melville / PHOTOSPORT
The Rebels can’t make it to the quarterfinals.
Highlanders (H) Sunday, 4 p.m., AAMI Park, Melbourne
The Rebels can’t reach the quarterfinals after their 45-22 …