After 17 rounds and 135 matches of the regular season the quarter-finalists for the 2016 Super Rugby tournament have been determined. The four Conference winners will host the four wildcard teams in the quarter-finals.
The Hurricanes won the hotly contested battle of the New Zealand Conference to finish as Conference winner and top tournament seed to secure its home quarter-final. The Hurricanes beat the Crusaders in Christchurch, while the Highlanders beat the Chiefs 25-15 in Dunedin.
The Lions 34-22 loss in Buenos Aires to the Jaguares saw them finish top of South Africa Conference 2 to qualify as tournament second seed.
The Stormers finished as South Africa 1 Conference winners after beating the Kings 52-24 in Cape Town and enter the quarter-finals as third seed. The Australian Conference winner is the Brumbies who beat the Force in Canberra 24-10 to qualify as fourth seed. Meaning the Waratahs missed out on quarter-final qualification.
The wild card quarter-finalists are three teams from the Australasia Group: the Highlanders, Chiefs, Crusaders; and the Sharks from South Africa 2 who beat to the Sunwolves 40-29 to claim the one wild card spot from the South Africa Group.
Final Conference tables can be viewed here.
2016 Super Rugby Quarter-finalists and seedings:
|
Seed 1 |
Hurricanes |
New Zealand Conference winner |
53 points |
|
Seed 2 |
Lions |
South Africa 2 Conference winner |
52 points |
|
Seed 3 |
Stormers |
South Africa 1 Conference Winner |
51 points |
|
Seed 4 |
Brumbies |
Australia Conference Winner |
43 points |
|
Seed 5 |
Highlanders |
Wildcard – Australasia Group |
52 points |
|
Seed 6 |
Chiefs |
Wildcard – Australasia Group |
51 points |
|
Seed 7 |
Crusaders |
Wildcard – Australasia Group |
50 points |
|
Seed 8 |
Sharks |
Wildcard – South Africa Group |
43 points |
2016 Super Rugby Quarter-final Draw
|
Date |
Home |
Away |
Venue |
Kick-Off * |
|
Fri 22 July |
Brumbies |
Highlanders |
GIO Stadium, Canberra |
1800 |
|
Sat 23 July |
Hurricanes |
Sharks |
Westpac Stadium, Wellington |
1935 |
|
Sat 23 July |
Lions |
Crusaders |
Emirates Airlines Park, Johannesburg |
1630 |
|
Sat 23 July |
Stormers |
Chiefs |
DHL Newlands, Cape Town |
1900 |
* Local time
The semi-finals will be determined by the results of the quarter-finals. The highest seeded winner will play the lowest seeded winner; the second highest seeded winner will play the second lowest seeded winner. The two highest seeds will host semi-final matches.
