SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC PLAYOFFS: NO KIWI DERBIES AS QUARTER-FINALS LOCKED IN

With the dust settled on the Super Rugby Pacific regular season, fans can start preparing themselves for the first week of the playoffs.

Four of the five Kiwi sides - sorry, Highlanders - have advanced to the knockouts, with four mouthwatering match-ups on the cards.

On Friday, the Blues, who finished third in the regular season, will host NSW Waratahs at Eden Park.

The first quarter-final is a repeat of the same fixture from round nine of this year's competition, when the Blues were relatively untroubled in a 55-21 victory.

The three remaining games are scheduled for Saturday, starting with arguably the biggest story of the playoffs.

At 4:35pm on Saturday, the Chiefs will host the Reds at Hamilton's FMG Stadium, looking for revenge against the Queenslanders. 

In round 12, the Chiefs suffered their only loss of the season so far, going down 25-22 in a shock upset, as a rotated outfit couldn't get the job done at New Plymouth.

This time around, coach Clayton McMillan's side will be more confident of ending up on the right side of the scoreline.

Bidding for a seventh title in as many years, the defending champion Crusaders will host first-time quarter-finalists Fijian Drua at Christchurch.

Like the Chiefs, the Crusaders will also be out for revenge, after round three's 25-24 shock defeat at Lautoka. 

The Drua's win over the Reds on Saturday ended the Highlanders season, while leapfrogging them into seventh place on the ladder.

Lastly, the Hurricanes will be the only Kiwi side to play their quarter-final on the road, heading to Canberra to face the Brumbies.

The Hurricanes have already beaten the Brumbies once this season - albeit at home with a 32-27 win - but will return to the scene of their 2022 exit, where they lost 35-25.

Should all four Kiwi sides emerge victorious, the semi-finals would be all-New Zealand affairs, with the Chiefs theoretically hosting the Hurricanes and another instalment of the Crusaders-Blues rivalry at Christchurch.  

Super Rugby Pacific quarter-finals:

Blues v NSW Waratahs: Eden Park, Auckland, 7:35pm Friday June 9

Chiefs v Reds: FMG Stadium, Hamilton, 4:35pm Saturday June 10

Crusaders v Fijian Drua: Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch, 7:05pm Saturday June 10

Brumbies v Hurricanes: GIO Stadium, Canberra, 9:35pm Saturday June 10

Join Newshub next weekend for live updates of the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-finals

2023-06-03T19:20:10Z dg43tfdfdgfd