It's back to the crystal ball to work out how the Super Rugby playoffs would play out if the season ended today:
Playoffs schedule
Crusaders (Seed 1) vs Bulls (Seed 8) Stormers (Seed 2) vs Hurricanes (Seed 7) Lions (Seed 3) vs Highlanders (Seed 6) Brumbies (Seed 4) vs Chiefs (Seed 5)
- With their defeat to the Highlanders the Chiefs slip from first to fifth seed and the Crusaders now hold home advantage through to the final. - The Chiefs would now face the Brumbies away in the first round of the playoffs. - The Highlanders move from 8th to 6th seed, which now means a potential trip to South Africa. - The Brumbies knocked the Rebels out of playoff contention after the Melbourne side didn't play in the weekend, moving to third in the Australian Conference. - The Stormers and Lions also had byes during week 11 but remain top of their respective South African conferences.
- Highlanders v Crusaders on Friday night is a huge game. The Highlanders could knock of the New Zealand Conference leaders for a second straight week, in doing so putting themselves in pole position. - Also on Friday night is the Brumbies v the Rebels where the Rebels can move back into top spot with a win. - But the next night, the Waratahs could move into top spot if they have a win over the Bulls in Sydney. - The Hurricanes need a win over the Reds to stay in touch with the Crusaders, Chiefs and Highlanders. - As do the Blues who face the Lions in Jo'burg.
