If the Super Rugby regular season ended today...

Beauden Barrett of the Hurricanes charges forward against the Crusaders. Photo / Getty

It's back to the crystal ball to work out how the Super Rugby playoffs would play out if the season ended today (reminder - it doesn't end today):

Playoffs schedule

Crusaders (Seed 1) vs Sharks (Seed 8)
Lions (Seed 2) vs Jaguares (Seed 7)
Waratahs (seed 3) vs Highlanders (Seed 6)
Hurricanes (Seed 4) vs Chiefs (Seed 5)

What's changed?
The Rebels have dropped from seventh to ninth due to a bye last week.
The Hurricanes are still set for a NZ derby quarter-final, now against the Chiefs not the Highlanders.
The Sharks have moved into eighth place which would earn a trip to Christchurch.

Coming up

- The Crusaders still hold a one point lead over the Hurricanes in the New Zealand Conference but the two sides square off on Friday in what could be the biggest game of the regular season. The Hurricanes won the week four match-up 29-19. The Highlanders and Chiefs will be looking to bounce back from defeats last week to remain in the middle of the playoff pack. The Highlanders head to Brisbane while the Chiefs return to Hamilton following their South African trip, where they host the Waratahs.

- The Lions still sit seven points clear in the South African conference after a decent hiding of the Brumbies. They head to Cape Town this week to play the 5-8 Stormers. The second-placed Jaguares host the Sharks.

- The Rebels have a good chance to make up the six points on the Waratahs as they host the Sunwolves on Friday. However the Sunwolves are currently on a winning streak. The Waratahs head to Hamilton.