Home quarterfinals are still up for grabs in all three conferences, with the Crusaders the only team confirmed to be playing host in the Super Rugby competition.
Other teams below are fighting for positions near the top, with some crucial match‑ups taking place this weekend including the Pulse Energy Highlanders and the Gallagher Chiefs at the ANZ Stadium on Saturday.
Looking at the overall points table after round 16, the Crusaders have a comfortable lead with 54 points, the Lions are second with 40 points, the Waratahs in third place with 35 points, the Hurricanes are in fourth place with 45 points, the Highlanders are in fifth place with 40 points while the Chiefs is in sixth place with 37 points.
The Chiefs, Hurricanes, and Highlanders are all in with a chance of hosting a quarterfinal. The top finisher of these three teams will host, and the other two will likely either travel to Wellington/Sydney or Melbourne.
The Crusaders are way out in front, but do have a bye this weekend. So technically the Hurricanes can still win the New Zealand Conference. To do that they will have to score the maximum points (15) from their last 3 games and hope the Crusaders don’t pick up more than five competition points in their last three games.
The defending champion will take on the Highlanders next week and the Blues in the last round.
The lowest place they can finish off is the fourth place.
Meanwhile Fiji Sports Council CEO, Litiana Loabuka has encouraged rugby fans to purchase their Super Rugby tickets now to avoid disappointment which saw a lot of people still lining up at the ticket booth when the game had already started last year.
The Highlanders advance team have already landed in Fiji which includes Fiji born winger Tevita Nabura and some other players.
They will be at the Damodar City food-court this afternoon from 5.30pm to meet and greet with fans.
The Pulse Energy Highlanders will host the Gallagher Chiefs at 7.35pm at the ANZ Stadium.
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