KEY POINTS:
The Crusaders will host one semifinal but the identity of the other sides challenging for the Super 14 crown will not be decided until the final round.
Several sides in the hunt for the playoffs tripped up at the weekend, with the most notable collapses involving the Chiefs, who fell after the final whistle to the Force, while the Waratahs lost out to the Bulls who are the defending champions but have been an average threat this season.
Those results have left a congested field behind the Crusaders, who confirmed their host playoff status when they held out the Sharks in torrid conditions in Christchurch.
Those who wrote off the Blues' chances will be slightly edgy after they eked out a maximum point victory against the Reds and then watched a number of their rivals stall.
The Blues are still outsiders to make the final four but a number of the sides ahead of them on the table play each other in the last two rounds.
The critical match for the Blues will be this weekend when they travel to Dunedin to face the Highlanders, who will be recovering from their trip to South Africa. Should the Blues win, their final game against the Hurricanes may decide the last qualifier.
It is conceivable, for the first time in Super rugby history, that mathematicians will be called in to separate the semifinalists.
If results go a certain way, with the Crusaders and Waratahs claiming the top spots, the Hurricanes, Stormers, Sharks and Blues could all end up tied on the same number of points.
If so, the sides with the greatest points for and against differential will go through to contest the semifinals.
The worst-affected side may be the Sharks, who will have to return Downunder, if they squeeze into the last four. They have just completed an arduous five-week roadtrip zapping backwards and forwards across the Tasman before heading home for their last two games.
If they win those and make the playoffs they will have to return to Australasia for their semifinal.
Similarly, the Chiefs would have to lift themselves should they squeeze get into the playoffs for the second time in their history after returning from their final game against the Sharks in Durban.
FINAL APPROACH
THE CRUSADERS (47 POINTS)
Home semifinal secured, they finish with leisurely strolls through the Reds (a) and the Highlanders (h).
THE WARATAHS (37 POINTS)
Two tough matches on the road (the Stormers and the Reds) could see them slip to fifth.
THE HURRICANES (36 POINTS)
Face the Force at home and should seal a play-off spot against Auckland at Eden Park in the last round.
THE STORMERS (35 POINTS)
A haul of eight points from the Waratahs (h) and the Lions (a) should take them through at the Waratahs' expense.
THE CHIEFS (33 POINTS)
Have a tough finish on the road (Lions, Stormers) and need other results to go their way.
THE SHARKS (32 POINTS)
With the Cheetahs and the Chiefs at home they could just about sneak in.
THE BLUES (31 POINTS)
Meet the Highlanders (a) and the Hurricanes (h) - relying on maths.
THE BRUMBIES (28 POINTS)
Tough finish on the road with the Bulls and the Force.
THE FORCE (28 POINTS)
Will play for pride against the Hurricanes (a) and the Brumbies (h).
