Super Rugby Pacific playoff picture: Hurricanes edging Blues ahead of top-of-table clash

Billy Proctor of the Hurricanes was instrumental in his side's win over the Waratahs. Photo / Photosport

There are four rounds of action left in the Super Rugby Pacific regular season and it’s getting pretty tight for quarter-final spots.

A lot can happen with up to 20 competition points to play in the final four games for each team as the Hurricanes, Blues, Brumbies and Chiefs fight it out for the top seed.

Here’s how the quarter-finals would play out if the season ended today:

1 Hurricanes v 8 Fijian Drua

The Hurricanes (9-1) sit one point clear at the top of the table following their latest win over the Waratahs on Friday. The only times the Canes have finished top of the table were in 2015 - when they lost in the final to the Highlanders - and in 2016, when they went on to claim their first and only title. The Drua are three points clear of ninth-placed Moana Pasifika.

Previous encounter: April 19 - Hurricanes 38 Drua 15

Games remaining: Hurricanes (@ Blues, v Moana Pasifika, @ Chiefs, v Highlanders). Fijian Drua (@ Force, v Reds, @ Highlanders, v Reds).

2 Blues v 7 Highlanders

The Blues sit just behind the Hurricanes but all that can change when they host the top-of-the-table clash at Eden Park on Saturday. Vern Cotter’s side finish with three home games against fellow Kiwi franchises. As it stands, they will play the Highlanders in the quarter-finals. The two teams face each other in a fortnight. The Highlanders sit seventh, five points clear of Moana Pasifika. The Southern Men just missed out on the playoffs last year and haven’t had a playoff win since a 2016 quarter-final victory over the Brumbies in Canberra.

Previous encounter: March 1 - Blues 37 Highlanders 29

Games remaining: Blues (v Hurricanes, v Highlanders, @ Crusaders, v Chiefs). Highlanders (v Crusaders, @ Blues, v Fijian Drua, @ Hurricanes).

3 Brumbies v 6 Rebels

An all-Australian clash is on the cards as the Brumbies (8-2) hold third and the Reds and Rebels are fighting over fifth and sixth spot on the table. The Brumbies and Rebels clashed way back in round one and meet again in three weeks. The Brumbies will like to have a home quarter-final locked in before the final regular-season trip to Perth. The Rebels (5-5) travel to Brisbane this week, where a defeat will see them lose more ground on the Reds.

Previous encounter: February 26 - Brumbies 30 Rebels 3

Games remaining: Brumbies (@ Waratahs, v Crusaders, v Rebels, @ Force). Rebels (@ Reds, v Chiefs, @ Brumbies, @ Fijian Drua).

4 Chiefs v 5 Reds

The Chiefs (7-3) finish with three games on the road and face the top two teams in the Hurricanes and Blues in the final two weeks. The last time the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs was in 2011, with that post-season streak looking to continue. The Reds (5-5) end the regular season against the two bottom teams, the Force and Waratahs. The Chiefs eliminated the Reds in the quarter-final stage last year, before going on to lose the final.

Previous encounter: March 9 - Reds 25 Chiefs 19

Games remaining: Chiefs (@ Moana Pasifika, @ Rebels, v Hurricanes, @ Blues). Reds (v Rebels, @ Fijian Drua, v Force, @ Waratahs).