Super Rugby Quarter-Finals Draw: Match-ups, Locations, Times and Predictions with all four matches confirmed for play-offs

A thrilling final weekend of Super Rugby Pacific left the Waratahs with an unexpected foe, and the Force missed death as the quarter-finals, times, days and locations were tied.

A shocking loss by the Brumbies to Moana Pasifika meant they moved from third to fourth, dodging the Tahs, who remained sixth with their late loss to the Blues.

The final comparison went on with Western Force missing out on eighth to the Highlanders, despite sitting four minutes eighth on the live ladder as the Melbourne Rebels took an eight point lead over the Kiwis in their game on Sunday.

Here’s a look at the times and matchups for the quarters.

Crusaders (2nd) vs. Reds (7th), Friday 5:05 PM AEST Orangetheory Stadium Christchurch

For a guide to this, you’ll have to go all the way back in the history books to Friday night. The Crusaders took a commanding lead at halftime before going on to win 28-15 and a decent comeback from the Reds led Tate McDermott to suspect the Queenslanders would draw confidence from it.

“Really proud of how we managed to get back on top and we will in the future,” said McDermott.

“Not too many teams get two cracks in a row at the Crusaders and we will take the positives from that game because we have to.

“It was as simple as holding the ball. When we got better as a team and worked hard and put phases together, we looked really good… but it’s about doing that for longer periods of time.”

Crusaders captain Scott Barrett will be looking to bolster his squad’s performance this weekend.

“All week we focused on ourselves and didn’t look too far ahead… it’s about gaining momentum and playing rugby that we are proud of,” he told Stan Sports.

“We were creating in that first half and were a bit lacking in patience and not clinical enough. Coming play-offs footy those chances will probably be smaller.”

verdict: This seems like a tough question for the Reds who are missing James O’Connor and who have a 0-5 record this season against Kiwi opposition, with a negative 63 points difference in those games.

The Crusaders’ win on Friday was without All Blacks Richie Mo’unga and Codie Taylor, with both poised to return for the knockout.

They could (should?) be without strong Argentine man Pablo Matera, who was shown a yellow card for turning Jordan Petaia upside down in an incident that could (should?) draw more attention from SANZAAR’s citing panel.

Queensland has been hit by injuries and clearly misses Taniela Tupou as much as JOC. Their whores blow up faster than drummers in Spinal Tap – and they lost another one when Matt Faessler left the field within five minutes of landing a big hit.

Forecast: Crusaders at 9.

Chiefs (3rd) vs Waratahs (6th), Saturday 2:35pm AEST, FMG Stadium Hamilton

The Chiefs won their previous encounter in the Melbourne Super Round 51-27, but the Australians always went after Angus Bell’s red card in the second minute, along with an early yellow for Jamie Roberts.

Jake Gordon scored two tries for the Tahs, but was outdone by Chiefs winger Jonah Lowe who netted four of his team’s seven tries.

The Tahs are in better form in terms of injuries than they were then, with both teams playing exciting games in the final round.

The Chiefs traveled to Fiji and were completely taken by surprise when Drua scored three tries in a seven-minute rise, leading Chiefs skipper Brad Weber to admit that the islanders may have won.

The Tahs seemed en route to victory over an understrength Blues before falling on a drop goal after the siren.

After Saturday night’s loss, Tahs skipper Gordon erroneously suggested that the Waratahs would face the Brumbies in the quarter-finals.

That miscalculation was shared by coach Darren Coleman, who revealed that his staff had spent three or four hours scouting the Brumbies ahead of that game.

“I’m feeling down, the boys are feeling down, you’re going to feel down after such a loss. We’ll be licking our wounds tonight, but wake up in the morning and get to work on our next job.”

He said it was too early to bask in the job done so far.

“We’ve been underdogs all year and we have a good small chance for the underdog this weekend.”

verdict: The Brumbies shock loss to Moana Pasifika only changed their opponent this weekend – for the Tahs it changed their entire travel plans – and one wonders if that last minute surprise will disrupt NSW’s thinking and planning.

There’s no denying that this season is a huge improvement on the winless 2021, but this is the biggest test for rookie coach Coleman, despite all the positive vibes that have been sent to him in recent weeks. The reality is that his team, playing at home to a packed crowd, was unable to beat a Blues B team. This is a more difficult task and requires maximum effort from the stars of the team.

Forecast: Chiefs by 7.

Blues (1st) vs Highlanders (8th) Saturday 5:05pm AEST, Eden Park Auckland

The Highlanders reached the final final spot when they lost to the Rebels 31-30, but the losing bonus point was enough to defeat the Force.

The Blues won both games between the two sides this campaign, but neither was an outburst, with the Auckland side winning 32-25 and 32-20.

The Highlanders were messy against the Rebels and need to improve significantly, but Captain Aaron Smith says they have nothing to lose.

“We know what we’re dealing with next week, we’ve got the Blues — bring it on,” said the No. 9 All Blacks. “We’ve got five or six days to prepare and our men should be fucking excited to go to Auckland, play against the best team in Eden Park and see what we can do.”

verdict: The Blues cleared the top six points and are coming in the knockouts after a club record of 13 consecutive wins. And it’s not just that they win – they do it even when they look ready. Two weeks in a row they have scored goals after the siren for wins over the Brumbies and then the Tahs. And they did that with completely different teams.

With eight starters fully equipped against NSW, the Blues will be rested and ready. You don’t see them lose this one.

Prediction: Blues against 14.

Brumbies (4th) v Hurricanes (5th) Saturday, 7:45pm AEST GIO Stadium Canberra

The Brumbies started May with a 42-25 win over the Canes that improved their record to 9-1 and everything looked bright. Coach Dan McKellar is a fan of momentum, but a month later, the Brumbies have the opposite of that final winning ingredient.

They enter this match after losing their last three. While defeats to the Crusaders, and a post-siren gutwrener to the Blues, are easily digestible, one wonders what the Brumbies are going to do with Moana Pasifika’s horrific defeat.

(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Of course MP were excited and emotional in front of friends and family, but Brumbies’ inability to beat the competition’s wooden spoons and put in their worst performance of the season suggests there are issues to be resolved.

“It’s quite disappointing from our side. We were probably played out, probably too excited,” said Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa on Saturday.

“So it’s not a great lesson for us. On the positive side, we will have another chance in the final next week.

“We just need to regroup, stay connected and make sure we learn from tonight.”

The Hurricanes come in after an exciting game in Perth.

verdict: Much has been said about Dan McKellar’s path to the job at Wallabies, and this weekend’s game will be a big test of his credentials. Who wins probably depends on what Brumbies shows up – the mob that lost their cool against Moana Pasifika, or the team that led the Blues to Beauden Barrett’s winning drop goal a week earlier.

Forecast: Brumbies by 3.