Super Rugby - Time for the Play-Offs!

Reds snatch Aussie Conference

The round robin stage of this year's Super 15 came to a conclusion on Saturday, as a dramatic weekend of rugby witnessed the Stormers, Chiefs and Reds confirmed as  conference winners in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

The Crusaders, Bulls and Sharks also kept alive their hopes of Super Rugby glory, qualifying for the play-offs through the hotly contested wild card positions. They secured their passage after comfortable strolls past the Force, Cheetahs and Lions respectively.

Spare a thought for the Brumbies and Hurricanes though, who agonisingly missed the cut by the narrowest of margins. Sport can be cruel at times and coaches Jake White and Mark Hammett must be pondering what could have been had an extra point been garnered elsewhere during the competition.

Both can rest easy knowing that their sides surpassed all pre-season expectations though. The Hurricanes in particular, who finished as the competition's top try scorers (by quite a distance), were the 'feel good' team of 2012.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR FOR BRUMBIES AND 'CANES


The final round itself opened with an absorbing (and unexpected) victory by the Hurricanes over the high flying Chiefs, thanks to a controversial try awarded by the TMO, a full three minutes after the hooter had sounded. Despite the late heroics from hooker Dane Coles though, the 'Canes failed to secure the four try bonus point which would have assured them an extra week in the competition. That ultimately cost them, as a series of results the following day saw three contenders leapfrog them, and oust them out of the wild card positions.

Conrad Smith revels in Hurricanes' victory over Chiefs in Wellington



The Brumbies meanwhile were left stunned, as they were not only overtaken as the Australian Conference leaders by the Reds, but failed to secure a wild card spot too. Their capitulation against Pat Lam's rejuvenated Blues, where they failed to even secure a losing bonus point, left the door wide open for the reigning champions, who made no mistake in taking full advantage.

Dejected Brumbies trudge off following Blues loss, knowing their fate is out of their hands

The Reds were in rampant form against the 'Tahs, extending their winning streak to six games, with Will Genia and Quade Cooper in particular, really turning the screw. The thrashing confirmed a desperate end to a truly miserable season for their proud rivals from New South Wales. The Queenslanders though, live to fight another day. Ewen McKenzie's revived Reds now enter the play-offs with a confidence that they can beat any team still left in the competition.




FINAL SUPER RUGBY STANDINGS

Conference leaders.
	Team	Nation	P	W	L	D	B	PF	PA	PD	Bp	Ttl
1.	Stormers	()	16	14	2	0	2	350	254	96	2	66
2.	Chiefs	()	16	12	4	0	2	444	358	86	8	64
3.	Reds	()	16	11	5	0	2	359	347	12	6	58
	Wild card teams
4.	Crusaders	()	16	11	5	0	2	485	343	142	9	61
5	Bulls	()	16	10	6	0	2	472	369	103	11	59
6.	Sharks	()	16	10	6	0	2	436	348	88	11	59

PLAY-OFF FIXTURES

The play-off fixtures, which will decide who is crowned the Southern Hemisphere's top domestic team, take place over a three week period as follows:

Week One

Reds (3) v Sharks (6)

Crusaders (4) v Bulls (5)

Stormers, Chiefs (Bye)

Week Two

Semi Final 1: Stormers vs lowest ranked qualifier

Semi Final 2: Chiefs v highest ranked qualifier

Week Three

Final: Winner of SF1  vs Winner of SF2


POSSIBLE PERMUTATIONS

The play-off fixtures are not straight forward, as their are plenty of possible permutations, depending on which sides win in Week One. The framework of the competition doesn't allow a simple 'winner of match one plays the winner of match 2' scenario. The coaches will therefore have their work cut out preparing and analysing potential opposition for the semi-finals, as it is still very much up in the air.

Dumptackle rugby blog has worked out all the possible permutations though, and they are as follows:

If the winners in week one are:
Reds and Crusaders then the semi finals will be:
Stormers (1) vs. Crusaders (4) and
Chiefs (2) vs. Reds (3).

If the winners are:
Reds and Bulls then the semis will be:
Stormers (1) vs. Bulls (5) and
Chiefs (2) vs. Reds (3)

If the winners are:
Sharks and Bulls then the semis will be:
Stormers (1) vs. Sharks (6) and
Chiefs (2) vs. Bulls (5)

If the winners are:
Sharks and Crusaders then the semis will be:
Stormers (1) vs. Sharks (6) and
Chiefs (2) vs. Crusaders (4)


Who are your tips for week one, week two and the final?