S14: Road to the play-offs
Mon, 05 May 2008 23:19
On a big Crusade: Who can stop this charge?
The Crusaders cannot finish lower than second when the league phase of the Super 14 comes to an end in two weeks' time. At this stage of the season, with 85 percent of the league matches having already been played, only the Waratahs can still catch the runaway Men in Red and Black.
And for the Waratahs to overtake the Crusaders they will have to win both their remaining matches by large margins - probably about 50 points in each game - and then hope the Crusaders don't get any league points.
All the Crusaders require to finish top of the standings is a solitary bonus point from their two remaining matches - against the Reds in Brisbane and the Highlanders at home.
Those are the only certainties, with two weeks of league action remaining.
Effectively, eight teams are fighting for the three remaining places in the play-offs, scheduled for later this month.
With the Waratahs and Stormers going head-to-head at Newlands this week, it is likely one of them could fall by the wayside. They both know they have to keep on winning. Their last matches are against the Reds away (the 'Tahs) and the Lions away (Stormers).
The Hurricanes also still have their own destiny in their hands, with games against the Western Force (at home) and Blues (away).
Below that it is a case of the teams desperately hoping for some results to go their way.
The Chiefs, Sharks and Blues have a fair shot at the play-offs - but with the Sharks and Chiefs going head-to-head in Durban in the final week, only one of them can make it. Any defeat for either in the last two weeks will be the end of the road.
Australian sides, the Brumbies and Western Force, are going to require some extraordinary permutations to go their way - not to mention the Force having to overcome the high-flying Hurricanes. But then again, they did beat the Chiefs this past weekend, so nothing is impossible.
We look at each team's prospects with two weeks of league action remaining:
Crusaders:
Current position: 1st
Best possible finish: 1st
Worst possible finish: 2nd
Remaining matches:
May 10: v Reds, away
May 17: v Highlanders, home
Waratahs:
Current position: 2nd
Best possible finish: 1st
Worst possible finish: 9th
Remaining matches:
May 10: v Stormers, away
May 17: v Reds, away
Hurricanes:
Current position: 3rd
Best possible finish: 2nd
Worst possible finish: 9th
Remaining matches:
May 9: v Force, home
May 16: v Blues, away
Stormers:
Current position: 4th
Best possible finish: 2nd
Worst possible finish: 9th
Remaining matches:
May 10: v Waratahs, home
May 17: v Lions, away
Chiefs:
Current position: 5th
Best possible finish: 2nd
Worst possible finish: 9th
Remaining matches:
May 10: v Lions, away
May 17: v Sharks, away
Sharks:
Current position: 6th
Best possible finish: 2nd
Worst possible finish: 9th
Remaining matches:
May 10: v Cheetahs, home
May 17: v Chiefs, home
Blues:
Current position: 7th
Best possible finish: 2nd
Worst possible finish: 9th
Remaining matches:
May 10: v Highlanders, away
May 16: v Hurricanes, home
Brumbies:
Current position: 8th
Best
possible finish: 2nd
Worst possible finish: 10th
Remaining matches:
May 9: v Bulls, away
May 16: v Force, away
Force:
Current position: 9th
Best possible finish: 2nd
Worst possible finish: 10th
Remaining matches:
May 9: v Hurricanes, away
May 16: v Brumbies, home
Bulls:
Current position: 10th
Best possible finish: 8th
Worst possible finish: 13th
Remaining matches:
May 9: v Brumbies, home
May 17: v Cheetahs, away
Reds:
Current position: 11th
Best possible finish: 10th
Worst possible finish: 14th
Remaining matches:
May 10: v Crusaders, home
May 17: v Waratahs, home
Highlanders:
Current position: 12th
Best possible finish: 10th
Worst possible finish: 14th
Remaining matches:
May 10: v Blues, home
May 17: v Crusaders, away
Cheetahs:
Current position: 13th
Best possible finish: 10th
Worst possible finish: 14th
Remaining matches:
May 10: v Sharks, away
May 17: v Bulls, home
Lions:
Current position: 14th
Best possible finish: 11th
Worst possible finish: 14th
Remaining matches:
May 10: v Chiefs, home
May 17: v Stormers, home
By Jan de Koning
