Sun, May 26, 2024, 1:01 PM
Nathan Williamson
With the penultimate round of Super Rugby Pacific in the books, there is still plenty of unknown around the make-up of the finals heading into next week.
What we do know is the Queensland Reds will travel to Hamilton to face the Chiefs after Clayton McMillians side went down to the Hurricanes in the final minutes on Friday.
Outside of that? Its anyones guess after a wild round of action.
The Crusaders 29-26 win over the Blues has had major ramifications at the top and bottom of the ladder as the defending champions kept their defence alive.
It pushed them into tenth position, tied on points with the Western Force, who were thumped by the Reds, but behind on the tiebreaker (most wins).
Rob Penneys side will face Moana Pasifika to open the round, who kept their own finals dream alive with a victory over the NSW Waratahs to hand them last position.
The Force will know their finals fate by the time they take the field on Saturday against the Brumbies in Perth. All three chasing sides will be hoping the Rebels can defeat the Drua to open the door for them to strike.
Meanwhile, Stephen Larkhams side were one of the biggest winners out of the weekend as they gained ground on both the Blues and Hurricanes.
They produced a clinical performance to claim maximum points against the Melbourne Rebels, with the Rebels locked into their maiden finals after the Force's defeat.
The Auckland-based side holds onto top spot on points difference but faces the Chiefs in a potential semi-final preview.
A second consecutive defeat could see them suddenly drop to third, with the Brumbies needing a Hurricanes loss on top of this to secure an unlikely minor premiership.
The Hurricanes just need a win over the Highlanders and a Blues defeat to ensure the finals go through Wellington and claim the minor premiership.
Round 15 Fixtures
*All times AEST
Friday, May 31: Crusaders v Moana Pasifika, Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch (5:05 pm)
Friday, May 31: NSW Waratahs v Queensland Reds, Allianz Stadium, Sydney (7:35 pm)
Saturday, June 1: Fijian Drua v Melbourne Rebels, Churchill Park, Lautoka (12:05 pm)
Saturday, June 1: Hurricanes v Highlanders, Sky Stadium, Wellington (2:35 pm)
Saturday, June 1: Blues v Chiefs, Eden Park, Auckland (5:05 pm)
Saturday, June 1: Western Force v ACT Brumbies, HBF Park, Perth (7:35 pm) (5:35pm WST)
Each teams best and worst case finish
1st - Blues
Current: 51 points, +241 points difference with 11 wins
Best: First (Win v Chiefs)
Worst: Third (Loss v Chiefs and Hurricanes/Brumbies wins)
2nd - Hurricanes
Current: 51 points, +172 points difference with 11 wins
Best: First (Win v Highlanders and Blues loss)
Worst: Third (Loss v Highlanders and Brumbies win)
3rd - ACT Brumbies
Current: 48 points, +94 points difference with 11 wins
Best: First (Win v Force and Blues/Hurricanes defeat)
Worst: Third (Brumbies, Blues and Hurricanes Win or Brumbies defeat)
4th - Chiefs
Current: 43 points, +189 points difference with nine wins
Best/Worst: Fourth
5th - Queensland Reds
Current: 36 points, +103 points difference with seven wins
Best/Worst: Fifth
6th - Highlanders
Current: 28 points, -70 points difference with six wins
Best: Sixth (Win v Hurricanes or Rebels loss v Drua)
Worst: Seventh (Loss v Hurricanes, Rebels win v Drua)
7th - Melbourne Rebels
Current: 26 points, -126 points difference with five wins
Best: Sixth (Win v Drua, Highlanders loss v Hurricanes)
Worst: Eighth (Loss v Drua with Drua getting bonus point)
8th - Fijian Drua
Current: 21 points, -123 points difference with five wins
Best: Seventh (Win v Rebels with bonus point)
Worst: 10th (Loss v Rebels and Force/Crusaders wins)
9th - Western Force
Current: 19 points, -127 point difference with four wins
Best: Eighth (Win v Force, Drua loss v Rebels and Crusaders win w/out bonus point or loss)
Worst: 11th (Loss v Brumbies, Moana win v Crusaders, who get losing BP)
10th - Crusaders
Current: 19 points, -39 points difference with three wins
Best: Eighth (Win v Moana and Force/Drua defeat)
Worst: 11th (Loss v Moana)
11th - Moana Pasifika
Current: 18 points, -187 points difference with four wins.
Best: Eighth (Win v Crusaders and Force/Drua defeat)
Worst: 11th (Loss v Crusaders)
12th - NSW Waratahs
Current: 12 points, -127 points difference with two wins
Best/Worst: 12th
