After 15 rounds of regular season action, we have arrived at the quarterfinals with just eight teams left standing for knockout footy.
With the brand-new Super Rugby Pacific trophy revealed this week, the stakes are high with a spot in the semifinals awaiting the four winners this weekend.
The action kicks off on Friday night when the Crusaders host the Reds in a rematch of their highly competitive match last week which saw the home-side prevail 28-15. The Reds will fancy their chances after spending the whole week in the Garden City plotting the downfall of the highly fancied Kiwi outfit.
Saturday sees three quarterfinal matches played with the Chiefs and Waratahs squaring off first at 4.35pm NZT at FMG Stadium Waikato. The Waratahs have been in hot form in recent weeks and will be hoping to upset a Chiefs side desperate to impress in their first home playoff game since 2013.
The table-topping Blues host the eighth-placed Highlanders in a potential banana skin clash at Eden Park on Saturday night. While the form book suggests the Blues should have no trouble against their southern rivals, anything can happen in knockout footy and the Highlanders loom as a potential grenade in the path of a first Super Rugby title for the powerhouse club since 2003 (when only counting full Super Rugby regular season competitions).
In the only quarterfinal to be played in Australia, the Brumbies host the Hurricanes at GIO Stadium at 7.45pm local time. The Brumbies dismantled the Hurricanes 42-25 in Canberra back in round 11 but will no doubt find a tougher opponent this time with a spot in the final four on the line.
Check out our official quarterfinals match programme below to see all the team lists, key stats, players to watch and feature stories – including an in-depth look at the different approaches the coaches are taking to knockout football. You can also subscribe to the weekly programme via the official website - click HERE to sign up with your email address.
