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The 2016 Super Rugby quarter-finals kick off on Friday night with the Brumbies hosting the Highlanders in Canberra at the unusual time of 6pm local. The new format means that eight teams will face off in a knockout round with the four winners securing a place in the semis. Here is your ultimate guide to the quarter-finals.
The Brumbies are the only Australian team in the finals, and they can thank the new Super Rugby format for gifting them a home quarter-final despite finishing seventh overall. Aside from their Round 1 flogging of the Hurricanes, the Brumbies lost all of their games against New Zealand sides. They received a timely boost with David Pocock recovering from injury and taking the number 7 jersey for the clash.
The defending champion Highlanders will be up for the challenge after finishing equal second on the overall table.
The Brumbies have won seven of the last nine games against the Highlanders, meanwhile the visitors will be searching for their first back-to-back win over the Brumbies since 2006.
The table-topping Hurricanes will host eighth-placed Sharks in Wellington during the normal Kiwi kick-off time-slot of 5:35pm Saturday.
The Hurricanes have won three and drawn one of their last five games against the Sharks in New Zealand. Meanwhile, the Sharks have won six of their last nine games against the Hurricanes, but only one of those wins was on New Zealand soil.
The Lions finished second on the ladder despite having a chance to go top in the final round, losing to the Jaguares in an upset (well, the did rest 23 players). The best team in South Africa will go up against finals regular the Crusaders on Sunday morning (AEST).
The Lions have built a fortress at Ellis Park, and will be going for their fifth straight win in a season, which will be a record for the franchise. The Crusaders, on the other hand, have beaten 19 of their last 23 South African opponents.
The last game of the quarter-finals takes place in Cape Town with the Stormers hosting the Chiefs in what is going to be a thriller.
The Stormers have relied on the boot of Jean-Luc du Plessis throughout the season kicking an average of 2.6 penalties per game, more than any other team.
The Chiefs have only managed to win three of their last six games after winning eight of their first nine games in 2016.
Last time they met:
The Brumbies were defeated by the Highlanders in Invercargill during Round 10 back in April, going down 23-10.
The last time the Hurricanes played the Sharks was in Round 11, where their forward pack was dominated by the South African’s and they conceded a 32-15 defeat in Durban.
Back in Round 6, the Lions and the Crusaders fought in a thrilling match up, with the New Zealander’s coming away with a 37-43 victory at Ellis Park.
The Stormers and the Chiefs last met in 2015 thanks to the highly controversial conference system. The Chiefs coming away with a 19-28 victory in Round 5 at Newlands.
You can watch the games live on Fox Sports 502 or follow The Roar’s live blogs and join in on the conversation.
Super Rugby quarter-finals schedule (AEST):
Friday 6pm Brumbies vs Highlanders at GIO Stadium
Saturday 5:35pm Hurricanes vs Sharks at Westpac Stadium
Sunday 12:30am Lions vs Crusaders at Ellis Park
Sunday 3am Stormers vs Chiefs at Newlands
Here are the teams:
Brumbies
(15-1): Aidan Toua, Nigel Ah Wong, Tevita Kuridrani, Matt Toomua, Robbie Coleman, Christian Lealiifano (co-captain), Tomas Cubelli, Jarrad Butler, David Pocock, Scott Fardy, Sam Carter, Blake Enever, Ruan Smith, Stephen Moore (co-captain), Scott Sio
Reserves: Josh Mann-Rea, Allan Alaalatoa, Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin, Tom Staniforth, Michael Wells, Joe Powell, Andrew Smith, James Dargaville, Lausii Taliauli (one to be omitted)
Highlanders
(15-1): Ben Smith (co-captain), Waisake Naholo, Matt Faddes, Malakai Fekitoa, Patrick Osborne, Lima Sopoaga, Aaron Smith, Liam Squire, Shane Christie (co-captain), Elliot Dixon, Luke Whitelock, Tom Franklin, Josh Hohneck, Ash Dixon, Daniel Lienert-Brown
Reserves: Liam Coltman, Aki Seiuli, Siosiua Halanukonuka, Mark Reddish, Dan Pryor, Te Aihe Toma, Fletcher Smith, Rob Thompson
Hurricanes TBA
Sharks TBA
Lions TBA
Crusaders TBA
Stormers TBA
Chiefs TBA
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.