Super Rugby Pacific wrap: Top-three look locked and loaded as Crusaders face fierce fight for finals

Monday, 4 May 2026

Peter Lakai goes on the burst in the Hurricanes’ victory over the Crusaders in Wellington on Friday night.

There’s still four rounds remaining in the Super Rugby Pacific regular season, but the playoffs picture is starting to take real shape, with the Crusaders facing a fierce fight to feature in finals footy.

On a weekend where the Hurricanes re-established their competition lead while the Chiefs had their feet up, the Blues made it seven wins from their last eight games, the Crusaders lost for a third time in four outings, and the Highlanders were downright dreadful, things have become distinctly clearer on the ladder.

So much so that the top three now already looks all but locked and loaded, with the Hurricanes, Blues and Chiefs (just not necessarily in that order) very much in line to secure home advantage for the qualifying finals (1 v 6, 2 v 5, 3 v 4).

Going into the round there was already a seven-point gap between third and fourth spot, and after defeats for both the Crusaders (38-31 to the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday night) and Brumbies (30-21 to the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday night), that margin has now extended to a hefty nine points, and would require quite some turn-up for the books to be overcome.

The Crusaders are in real danger of missing the finals altogether, with three very tough games remaining.

That also now raises the distinct possibility of no playoff games being staged across the Tasman, for the first time since the Pacific competition was launched in 2022, with Canberra having always been in the picture, with a qualifying final there last year, and quarterfinals under the old format the three seasons prior.

The Reds are the best-placed to be able to break the top-three stranglehold, given they have already had their second bye and still have four fixtures to play. But, along with probably needing to win clashes against current bottom-five teams in the Force (away), Moana Pasifika (away) and Fijian Drua (home), Les Kiss’ side would likely also have to also take the big scalp of the Chiefs, in what shapes as a big clash for them at Suncorp Stadium this Friday night.

Stephen Larkham’s Brumbies, who had been deadly in going 4-0 against Kiwi teams before being pumped by the Hurricanes in Super Round, have now dropped to sixth, but will surely have enough against the Force (home), Waratahs (away) and Moana (home) to seal their passage to the playoffs.

That seemingly then just leaves one spot to fight for in the top six, and while the Crusaders are in the box seat to secure it, the defending champions’ monumentally difficult run-in means that not only is their brand new stadium in Christchurch likely not going to see any finals action, but there is still the real danger that the perennial powerhouse might not even feature in the post-season at all.

The Highlanders’ sorry run outside of New Zealand continued in their ugly defeat to the Fijian Drua.

Rob Penney’s outfit return to One NZ Stadium this Friday night for a massive pre-bye clash with traditional rivals the Blues, then play their remaining two games under the roof, too, but those come against the tough nuts of the Chiefs and Hurricanes.

If the red and blacks can’t jag a win against one of those top three sides, it will open the door for either the Fijian Drua, Waratahs and Highlanders (all seven points back), or even the Force, who are nine points behind but, like the Tahs, have four, not three, games to play.

The Landers look toast, on the back of an error-ridden 24-14 shocker to the Drua in Ba (which extended their losing run outside of New Zealand to six games), and with trips to the Chiefs and Hurricanes before their final-round bye.

Jamie Joseph’s team host the Waratahs in Dunedin this Saturday, in what will present as a huge match for the New South Welshmen, who will then face an equally-crunch encounter away to the Drua the following week.

With the Fijians having ended their road hoodoo by winning in Canberra last month, they, currently five points behind the Brumbies in seventh, will have belief they could prevail in Perth and Brisbane to land a maiden playoffs berth.

And the Force, on the back of their 20-17 win over the Waratahs in Sydney, cannot be discounted from the race, given, after their trip to the Australian capital this weekend, they finish with three home games against the Reds, Drua and Waratahs.

Super Rugby Pacific, Rd 12

At Hnry Stadium, Wellington: Hurricanes 38 (Du’Plessis Kirifi, Josh Moorby, Cam Roigard, Raymond Tuputupu, Fehi Fineanganofo tries; Ruben Love 5 con, pen) Crusaders 31 (Leicester Fainga’anuku, Noah Hotham, Rivez Reihana, Dom Gardiner tries; Taha Kemara con, pen, Reihana 3 con). HT: 24-10.

At Allianz Stadium, Sydney: Force 20 (Dylan Pietsch 2 tries; Ben Donaldson 2 con, 2 pen) Waratahs 17 (Lawson Creighton, Folau Fainga'a tries; Sid Harvey 2 con, pen). HT: 10-10.

At Four R Stadium, Ba: Fijian Drua 24 (Isikeli Rabitu 2, Virimi Vakatawa, Elia Canakaivata tries; Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula 2 con) Highlanders 14 (Jonah Lowe, Veveni Lasaqa tries; Cam Millar 2 con). HT: 12-14.

At North Harbour Stadium, Auckland: Blues 45 (Marcel Renata, Kade Banks, Patrick Tuipulotu, James Mullan, Stephen Perofeta, Beauden Barrett, Terrell Peita tries; Perofeta 4 con, Barrett con) Moana Pasifika 19 (Millennium Sanerivi 2, Chris Apoua tries; William Havili 2 con). HT: 14-12.

At Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane: Reds 30 (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Josh Flook, Seru Uru tries; Harry McLaughlin-Phillips 3 con, 2 pen, Ben Volavola pen) Brumbies 21 (Lachlan Shaw, Rob Valetini, David Feliuai tries; Ryan Lonergan 3 con). HT: 17-7.

Points (games played): Hurricanes 40 (10), Blues 38 (11), Chiefs 36 (10), Reds 27 (10), Crusaders 27 (11), Brumbies 25 (11), Fijian Drua 20 (11), Waratahs 20 (10), Highlanders 20 (11), Force 18 (10), Moana Pasifika 4 (11).