KEY POINTS:
Sudden-death rugby begins three weeks early for teams walking the Super 14 tightrope this weekend.
The Blues, ACT Brumbies and Western Force will all bow out of semifinal contention if beaten, while defeat for teams just above them could also prove disastrous, such is the tight race for the playoffs.
With three rounds remaining, only the leading Crusaders have a buffer - seven points on the field.
They can guarantee a home semifinal if they beat the third-placed Sharks in the week 12 opener and match of the round in Christchurch tomorrow.
What they won't want is a repeat of last year's helter-skelter finish in Cape Town.
Leading after the final hooter, the Crusaders inexplicably opted against putting the ball out and paid for it when a turnover saw the Sharks surge the length of the field for the winning try.
Of comfort is the Crusaders' six-from-six home record against the Sharks, which included a 77-point haul when they last played in Christchurch three years ago.
The Sharks are second-last in the competition's points scored column and will need to find some attacking verve if they are to overcome a Crusaders side conceding an average 12 points per game.
They leaked a season-high 22 in their narrow defeat of the Blues last week, suggesting the Auckland-based franchise may have turned the corner after weeks of slumping form.
The Blues travel to Brisbane aware they have beaten the Queensland Reds just once there in six meetings, breaking their drought two years ago.
That 21-20 win came courtesy of a late penalty to Isa Nacewa, who has been retained at first five-eighth tomorrow, swapping again with Nick Evans who was a surprise switch to fullback in Christchurch.
The fourth-placed Chiefs and fifth-placed Hurricanes crossed travel paths during the week, with the Wellington-based side returning home and hoping for a surge into the semifinals.
They should gather momentum against the cellar-dwelling Lions on Saturday, with the South African side having never won in the capital.
However, the teams' last meeting was an astonishing 30-7 Lions win in Johannesburg, the nadir of a forgettable 2007 season for the Hurricanes.
The red-hot Chiefs begin their three-game tour at Perth later that night, against a Force side who will be hoping a bye last week can arrest their alarming slide in form.
While the Chiefs have won both meetings of the teams comfortably, they are without injured All Blacks halfback Brendon Leonard, who scored a hat-trick in last year's 64-36 rampage.
Pride is on the line in Bloemfontein on Saturday morning (NZ time), when the Cheetahs host the Highlanders.
Both teams share 11 points to sit one rung off the bottom of the table, having endured similar seasons featuring one win and a host of narrow losses.
The Cheetahs have conceded 25 tries in matches against the four other New Zealand teams, and have lost both their previous meetings against the southern outfit.
Australia's only realistic playoff hopefuls both face challenges in South Africa on Sunday morning (NZ time).
The Waratahs will need to beat the Bulls in Pretoria to hold onto second while the ACT Brumbies play a sixth-placed Stormers side reeling from the season-long loss of injured Springboks flanker Schalk Burger.
- NZPA
