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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) The final quarter-final will be determined and the playoffs will be decided this weekend during the last regular round of Super Rugby which will further highlight the unfairness of the tournament's conference system .
Four champions from New Zealand, two from South Africa and one from Australia.
The defending champion and Christchurch Crusaders sealed first place at the New Zealand conference and at the final table. As long as they stay alive in the playoffs.
The New South Wales Waratahs took first place in the Australian conference. First place remains to be won in an African conference where the Johannesburg Lions, finalists of each of the last two years, have three lengths ahead of the Argentine Jaguares.
Lions play Pretoria Bulls and Jaguars Durban-based Sharks in intra-conference matches on final round
African conference winner automatically qualifies for playoffs and has the advantage from the house until he faces a higher placed opponent.
places available, three have been secured by teams from New Zealand. The Highlanders are safe, as are the Hurricanes and Chiefs, who meet Friday in the opening game of the last round.
The Hurricanes have already beaten the Chiefs once in the regular season and the teams will meet the quarter-finals next weekend. in Hamilton or Wellington
Chris Boyd of the Hurricanes is the last coach to denounce a system that gives the conference winners an advantage even when they accumulate fewer championship points than the wild teams -card. The Hurricanes currently have 50 points, placing them well ahead of the Waratahs with 44 and the Lions with 41.
"The Crusaders are cut off at No. 1 and the Lions will finish at the top of their conference, the Waratah will end the conference, the Chiefs and Hurricanes will finish fourth and fifth or fifth and fourth, "Boyd told Fairfax Media
" The vagaries of the competition structure, considering the pools, The Hurricanes and Chiefs will finish higher , or roughly, that the Waratahs and Lions, but will not enjoy the privilege of getting the home playoffs, so this is an interesting feature of the competition. "
The Dunedin Highlanders points, also earned a playoff spot ahead of their Saturday game against the Melbourne Rebels. Their quarter-final will be far from home but they will have to wait until the end of the last lap to know if it will be in Sydney, Johannesburg or Buenos Aires.
Scrum midfielder Aaron Smith said the Highlanders are not worried for the quarter-finals.
"Rugby series is what it is," he said. "We are at the end of the season, we have prepared for the playoffs, no matter what is good. It's just a question of where we are going. "
The Waratahs will finish the regular season against the ACT Brumbies, who have a small chance to make the playoffs.The Rebels or the Sharks will likely take the last place in the quarter-finals
A victory would allow the Waratahs to win a flawless match this season.
"In reality, you want to win games at this time of year," Waratahs badistant coach Chris Malone said. "You want to go to quarterbacks final as a result of a win against a good side, and it's really important to us. "
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