Australian hopes of Super Rugby Pacific finals glory now rest on winning in New Zealand this weekend to stay alive.
The table-topping Hurricanes will kick off the finals when they host the ACT Brumbies at Hnry Stadium this Friday.
The action continues in Christchurch on Saturday when defending champions Crusaders will face the Auckland-based Blues, and the Waikato-based Chiefs hosts Queensland in Hamilton.
While the three winning teams will make the semi-finals, the highest-ranked losing team (the so-called “lucky loser”) will also advance.
But unlike last season, the lucky lose will not be able to host a semi-final or the grand final should they win through.
AUSTRALIAN TITLE HOPES
The Brumbies will still be smarting after their 21-19 upset loss to a 14-man Moana Pasifika side in Canberra on Saturday.
Moana were only able to play their last game after emergency funding from NZ Rugby and have now folded.
“With all that had happened during the week, in terms of Moana going into liquidation, we (knew we wouldn’t) see a lot of our group that we left behind,” Super Rugby Pacific ‘s website quotes Moana coach Tana Umaga as saying.
“We talked a lot about our strong purpose of who we represent. We’re representing our culture, our people, and we saw that come through in the end.”
The team lost centre Faletoi Peni when he was sent off in the 63rd minute for his second yellow card as they stole the win.
“(In all) the emotion of the last few months, I couldn’t tell you what happened in those other games … I can tell you what happened today, and I’m very proud of it. This one stands out.”
The Brumbies (7-7) needed a big bonus-point win to help them move as high as fourth on the table but had to settle for sixth place.
Coach Stephen Larkham says the Australian team’s mood is one of frustration after the game.
“There’s a whole lot of frustration in the change room at the moment; there’s lots of guys thinking about what they could have done differently or better,” he says.
“For me right now it (my message is) get some good sleep; that’s the priority. Fully recover from this game, and get your details right when we come back in.”
QUEENSLAND VS DRUA
The Reds also booked a NZ trip after their 45-24 win over the Fijian Drua in Brisbane on Friday.
The result was sourced by a knee injury to centre Hunter Paisami as the Reds used their set piece dominance to secure the result.
FORCE VS NSW
The WA Force bowed out of the season with a 31-25 win over NSW in Perth.
The game was marred by a likely season-ending injury to Waratah Jake Gordon in the 39th minute.
The Force finished in 7th place, their best result since their debut season, as NSW finished in eighth spot.
OTHER NON-AUSTRALIAN GAMES
The Chiefs were too good for the Blues, winning 59-34, who are coaching by incoming Queensland coach Vern Cotter.
The Crusaders cored a 47-14 win over the Hurricanes to maintain their unbeaten record at their new stadium in Christchurch.
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