The Waikato Chiefs need only a point and the Stormers must take maximum points from their South African derby with the Sharks to lock up playoff spots in this weekend’s final round of rugby’s Super 12.
The Chiefs, who have only been beaten once at home this season, take on leaders ACT Brumbies in Hamilton on Saturday and are on the verge of clinching their first semifinal place in the southern-hemisphere rugby competition.
Such is the compressed nature of the standings after 11 rounds that the Chiefs can possibly finish at the top after the regular rounds or even miss out altogether with a point-less defeat to the Brumbies.
Across in the republic, the Stormers, losers of their past two games in New Zealand, have one last chance to get it right in Durban on Saturday against the Sharks, who appear to have thrown away their chances with three consecutive home defeats.
Waiting for a fumble from either the Chiefs or the Stormers are the New South Wales Waratahs and Auckland Blues, one point out of the top four but needing to win handsomely their final games this weekend.
The Waratahs, one-time leaders who sensationally choked after leading 24-8 only to go down 29-28 to the Otago Highlanders in Sydney last weekend, face a passionate Australian derby with the Queensland Reds in Brisbane.
Champions Auckland, who may still resurrect their wretched season, must do everything right and win big against fellow Kiwis the Highlanders at home on Saturday.
Four-time winners Canterbury Crusaders are second and poised to host one of the following weekend’s two semifinals but first must knock over the hot-and-cold Wellington Hurricanes in the national capital on Friday.
Former All Blacks coach John Mitchell is backing the Chiefs to go one step further than his 2001 outfit and down the Brumbies.
”This group are in a different frame of mind. It was a good sign last week that they played poorly by their own standards and still were able to come back and win,” Mitchell said. ”They’ve come too far to let it slip now.”
Mitchell warns the Brumbies are a team with more attacking threats than any other in the Super 12 and are adept at finding and probing weaknesses in opposition teams.
”They are an intelligent team, but they are beatable and have certain weaknesses of their own,” he said.
”The Chiefs have got to look to out-muscle them and go to certain areas of the field to create opportunities. Like any game it is down to the boys’ execution.”
The Stormers must recover lost form against the Sharks after poor efforts against the Crusaders and Chiefs over the past two weeks, but they are back in South Africa and have the motivation to succeed.
New South Wales had some good news this week when their influential Wallaby lock Justin Harrison was cleared by an Australian Rugby Union judiciary to play against Queensland.
Harrison was exonerated of misconduct charges arising from New South Wales’s capitulation to the Highlanders last Saturday.
Unwanted Waratah Van Humphries warned his new teammates that New South Wales would almost reach Queensland levels of passion for Saturday’s grudge match at Lang Park.
The 10th-placed Reds know their much-vaunted passion and emotion will only go so far in the pivotal last-round encounter.
The Waratahs can get back up off the canvas after their shock loss to Otago with a bonus-point victory in Brisbane that could propel them into the semifinals.
Former Reds and Wallabies skipper Tim Horan said if New South Wales could put the doubts of last weekend’s loss behind them the Reds would face their most difficult interstate challenge in the Super 12.
All Blacks Joe Rokocoko and Keven Mealamu have recovered from long injury layoffs but Rokocoko is the only change as the Blues try to continue their Super 12 rugby charge.
Rokocoko replaces Rico Gear on the left wing for Saturday’s match with the Highlanders at Eden Park but hooker Mealamu, who has struggled with a fractured collarbone, has been named on the bench.
Assistant coach Bruce Robertson said the team had settled well after the flight home from South Africa — a trip that had brought them closer together in a tough season.
”We have improved in the last part and that has given us a greater sense of purpose, too. We don’t know what will happen because our fate is also in the hands of others,” Robertson said.
Crusaders fullback Ben Blair is back for the match against the Hurricanes and coach Robbie Deans has been forced to make three other changes to the starting 15.
All Blacks scrumhalf Justin Marshall, who suffered a torn abdominal muscle against the Stormers, has been replaced by Jamie Nutbrown, who will make his Super 12 starting debut.
Aaron Mauger aggravated a shoulder injury and along with Marshall is being monitored in the hope they may be passed fit for their likely semifinal on May 15.
The Northern Bulls and Golden Cats have nothing to play for but pride in their Pretoria encounter on Saturday. — Sapa-AFP