The Super Rugby Pacific quarterfinals have been decided after an action-packed final round of the 2023 competition.
The first game of round 15 saw the Blues beat the Highlanders 16-9 to secure third place and leave the Highlanders needing other results to go their way. The Brumbies secured fourth spot with a win in Canberra while the Drua made the top eight, beating Queensland to eliminate the Highlanders and leave the Reds sweating on the final game of the round between the Force and Chiefs.
An understrength Chiefs came out blazing and beat the Force to end their hopes.
Finals match ups
Quarterfinals – 1 v 8, 2 v 7, 3 v 6 and 4 v 5 with the top-ranked team hosting
QF 1 v 8: Chiefs vs Reds, 2:35pm AEST Saturday time, FMG Stadium Waikato
QF 2 v 7: Crusaders vs Drua, 5:05pm AEST Saturday time, Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch
QF 3 v 6: Blues vs Waratahs: 5:35pm Friday AEST, Eden Park, Auckland
QF 4 v 5: Brumbies vs Hurricanes, Saturday 7.35pm, GIO Stadium, Canberra
Semi-Finals – top-ranked quarter-final winner hosts against lowest-ranked quarter-final winner & 2nd highest ranked quarterfinal winner hosts 3rd highest ranked winner.
Final – top-ranked semi-final winner hosts the other semi-final winner.
How the games affected table placings.
Friday
Blues vs Highlanders
The Blues finished third after a 16-9 win over the Highlanders. That sets up a match against the Waratahs next weekend, and form is on their side having beaten NSW 55-21 earlier this season. The Highlanders managed a bonus point but stayed in eighth and were eliminated after the Drua beat the Reds.
Brumbies vs Rebels, 7.35pm
The Brumbies stayed fourth and secured a semifinal against the Hurricanes with a 33-17 win that eliminated the Rebels.
Saturday
Drua vs Reds, 2.35pm
The Drua beat the Reds in Fiji to claim a first finals spot. They went to seventh where they stayed as the Force lost to the Chiefs. The Reds scraped through in eighth with the Chiefs beating the Force.
Hurricanes vs Crusaders 5.05pm
The Hurricanes beat the Crusaders 27-26 but it had no bearing on the standings with both teams fisnishing where they started the night – the Crusaders in second and Canes in fifth.
Waratahs vs Moana Pasifika 7.35pm
This game also had no bearing on the quarterfinal make up. The Tahs finished sixth regardless and play the third placed Blues. Moana Pasifika ended the season with the wooden spoon despite their win over the Tahs in Sydney.
Force vs Chiefs 10pm
The Chiefs finished first and made 13 changes to rest players ahead of the finals. The Force could have gone into seventh or eighth with a win but failed to match up to the Chiefs and were eliminated.
MO
Roar Rookie
Both comps have more games than super rugby and whilst the epl has no grand final the English have the fa cup and partipation in knockout European comps
P2R2
Roar Rookie
INCORRECT - Fiji has played the ABs in Suva - 1968...
P2R2
Roar Rookie
why do you think they dont play (the majority of time) during the day??? so the NH audience can get their fill of viewing - it makes SR money
P2R2
Roar Rookie
that maybe so TWAS but 8 teams in a finals competition....
P2R2
Roar Rookie
It clogs the competition - world templates abound for finals - but of course SR knows better....
Chivas
Roar Rookie
I would personally hate it, but yeah what a turn up. There is a part of me that would like it to be close if only to give the Reds something after a tough year. I will settle for the Reds playing their best game of the year and keeping the score within 10, making the Chiefs work for it. And that is why I am not against he top 8.. For the most part the Reds probably don’t deserve to be there… but imagine the storm if the won… that would be worth the price of admission alone.
Broken Shoulder
Roar Rookie
The Wallabies have played Fiji in Fiji three times (1972, 1980 & 1984).
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Wrong! As they AB's have played in Fiji, something that the Wallabies have never done. It was done decades ago, but they have played there. As it is, the rest of your assumptions are sadly out of whack.
Big A
Roar Rookie
keep it real bro - exactly what i am doing mate.
Reds Harry
Roar Rookie
Love to see the odds on the multi for this happening.
KTinHK
Roar Pro
I should add I was also pleased to see Moana Pacifica finally win with their last game of the season. They deserved it.
nroko
Roar Rookie
'the viewers haven't come' .... that's true about Australia and that's not going to change if the format and relative strengths of the teams don't change. The more Aus teams win the more viewers Aus will get. You are likely to get an all Aus final in the lower division and that would attract numbers. Plus it provides incentive for teams to invest and improve to get into the higher division.
Doctordbx
Roar Rookie
The viewers haven't come. Furthermore the viewers have indicated there is little interest in the NZ only games. The most interest is in the AUS only games. So if you have a tier that is completely dominated by NZ teams the audience for this will be miniscule. More people watched the Brumbies semi-final last year than the final the week after.
Nobody
Roar Rookie
Would it help if we had a name change then. Call it the knockout stages. The top 8 teams at the end of the all-play-all get to go into the knockouts, and the winners of the first round of the knockouts go into the semi-finals, then the final. Better?
Phantom
Roar Rookie
Put your house on that at the tab.
FrancisF
Roar Pro
ojp44 Thanks for the correction.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
John Eales?! Most people realise that the prime mister is Harold Holt.
nroko
Roar Rookie
If based on this year top 6 then it would 4x NZ and 2x Aus in the Prem division. The crowds for Kiwi derby matches have been great in NZ. The current format is round robin + 3 derby matches, e.g. Crusaders played Chiefs and Blues twice this season - it's designed to generate more interesting matches in the competiton but it feels contrived a bit. Have top 6 play each other 2x is better way at creating more interesting match ups. Last 2 years has shown there is a stark difference between top 5 teams and the rest. There is clear demarcation. The bottom 6 teams playing each other 2x will also create more interesting matches. The viewers will come when there's more interesting match ups.
ojp44
Roar Rookie
Bring back SR Au, which was a huge success and wildly popular. And never resulted in any state based bickering between Oz supporters or criticism of Oz refs (i looked for HiKas irony font but couldnt find it :rugby: )
ojp44
Roar Rookie
4 kiwi teams FF; the Highlanders (my team) didnt make it and deservedly so.