Super Rugby semifinals: What the stats say

Hurricanes and Crusaders players clash during their round 15 match. Photo / Getty

Four teams now stand in line looking for a ticket to the big dance, with each of the four home teams from the qualifying finals progressing to the penultimate knockout stage.

The Crusaders, Lions, Waratahs, and Hurricanes come into this round on the back of differing fortunes, but all will be buoyed by the fact that they need to rummage together just two more wins for the season to hold aloft the Super Rugby trophy.

The Crusaders and Hurricanes will start proceedings on Saturday evening in what will be the 12th all-New Zealand semifinal in Super Rugby history. The ledger lies firmly in favour of the Crusaders, who have won each of the three previous meetings between these teams at the semifinal stage.

In fact, each of the previous 11 New Zealand derbies in semifinals have seen the home team on the day progress to the next week.

There's also a Super Rugby record up for grabs in this fixture, with the Canes' Ben Lam (15) on the cusp of becoming the outright most prolific try scorer within the scope of a single season in Super Rugby history.

He's now one of five players deadlocked on 15 tries in a season (alongside Waratahs' flyer Taqele Naiyaravoro who has also scored 15 tries this season) and will be looking to become the first to break through that barrier. Lam crossed for a try in the qualifying final win against the Sharks, snapping a five-game drought.

George Bridge, who has been one of the Crusaders' most exciting try scoring prospects in recent seasons, is also on the cusp of this record.

Bridge has scored 14 tries thus far in Super Rugby 2018 and has made a habit of going big, scoring multiple tries in a game on four occasions this season. While he sits one try behind Lam heading into this fixture, he'll fancy his chances of catching him up.

The second semifinal sees the Lions host the Waratahs. The Lions have won their last three games on the bounce against the Waratahs, including a 29-0 drubbing when they met in Round 10 this season. The New South Wales side haven't won at Emirates Airline Park since 2009.

Will 2018 see a rematch of the 2017 final between the Crusaders and Lions, or can an underdog claw their way into trophy contention?

- Opta Stats