The Crusaders will host the Reds in a Super 15 qualifying final on Saturday night while the Chiefs could have home advantage throughout the entire playoffs after the regular season wrapped up overnight.
The Bulls 30-13 defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town this morning was good news for the Chiefs as the defending champions finished on top of the standings following their 26-16 win over the Blues at Eden Park last night.
The Crusaders and Reds will clash at AMI Stadium at 7.35pm on Saturday while the Brumbies will host the Cheetahs in the other qualifying final on Sunday in Canberra. The Australian Conference winners finished the regular season with a shock 21-15 defeat to the Force on Saturday night, while the Reds beat the Waratahs 14-12 in Sydney.
The Chiefs and Bulls get the week off before hosting semifinals.
The Stormers did the Chiefs a huge favour a few hours ago, knocking over the competition-leading Bulls in Cape Town. There's no love lost between the Stormers and the Bulls, and the Chiefs now have the home run through the play-offs as a result.
And as really bad luck would have it, we're going to be in Christchurch next weekend. But it gets even worse; we don't yet have any plans for Saturday night, so a trip to AMI Stadium is a distinct possibility. If any of our Christchurch friends knows someone with a corporate box....
The Crusaders have struck form at the right end of the season, and there's a not-bad bloke waiting in the wings who is rumoured to be a pretty good flanker. As they did last year, the Chiefs have struggled a bit in their last two matches, but now have a week to regroup before a home semi-final in Hamilton, and if they win that, another home final. It should be a terrific next few weeks as Super Rugby heads for the pointy end of the season.
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