Geitz retires

Australian netball star Laura Geitz has retired from international competition. Geitz played 71 internationals as a formidable defender after making her debut in 2008. She said the time was right to end her career. Geitz was part of two successful World Cup campaigns in 2011 and 2015 and also won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She took time out for the birth of her first child last year, then returned for this year’s Commonwealth Games.

1st v 8th

The Crusaders have locked in a home quarter-final, sitting eight points clear of the Hurricanes. So that isn’t changing. Their opponent could. The Rebels currently sit in eighth spot but face an away game against the Highlanders on Saturday. A defeat for the Rebels, and a win for the Sharks against the Jaguares could see the South African side make the trip to Christchurch instead. The Brumbies could also sneak into eighth with a win over the Waratahs and defeats for both the Rebels and Sharks. The Highlanders could also still fall to eighth.

The Waratahs secured a home playoff spot with their 77-25 thrashing of the Sunwolves. They could drop to third with a defeat to the Brumbies and a Lions win over the Bulls. The Jaguares seem the likely opponents in the quarter-finals but the Rebels could create a local clash with a win in Dunedin.

The Lions hold top spot in the South Africa conference by three points over the Jaguares. The Lions finish Of the seven games this week, two have nothing riding on them — Reds v Sunwolves and Crusaders v Blues — while the Brumbies are the only side outside the top eight who still have a chance of making the playoffs. Possible results could really make calculations interesting: Lions lose to Bulls, Jaguares beat Sharks, Highlanders lose to Rebels. That would mean the Jaguares would take the South African conference top spot, then the Lions, Highlanders and Rebels would be battling for the sixth, seventh and eighth spots.