NZ dominance remains unrewarded in playoffs

melbourne — The Super Rugby playoffs have never been entirely meritocratic but the dominance of New Zealand teams this season have lent an added air of unfairness to the quarterfinals kicking off this weekend.

Under the vagaries of a conference system that will barely change when the competition reverts to 15 teams next year, the Wellington Hurricanes must travel to face the ACT Brumbies on Friday despite boasting a far superior record to the Canberra side.

The twice-champion Waikato Chiefs are also condemned to an away quarterfinal on Saturday, against the Cape Town-based Stormers, who won 14 fewer championship points than the New Zealanders.

Underlining the New Zealand supremacy, the seven-times champion Canterbury Crusaders host the Otago Highlanders in Christchurch on Saturday.

The top-seeded Lions face the Durban-based Sharks at home in the other all-South African quarter-final on Saturday and will carry hosting rights to the final if they advance that far.

They may feel the advantage is deserved after finishing top of the overall standings, even if they avoided playing a single New Zealand team in the regular season due to a quirk in how the fixtures were selected for the 18team format.

“A title for them will be a victory for a lop-sided, ill-conceived format,” rugby pundit Gregor Paul fumed in the New Zealand Herald.

Despite the inequities, such is the quality of New Zealand rugby that three of the conference’s four participants in the playoffs could ultimately end up in the semi-finals.

The Chiefs may have the toughest assignment but also have fine memories of last year’s quarterfinal at Newlands when they destroyed the hosts 60-21.

The Stormers hit back with a 34-26 win over the Chiefs earlier in the season, however, and went through undefeated by New Zealand opponents in Cape Town. The winner will face either the Crusaders or Highlanders, who face off in a mouth-watering clash at Rugby League Park.

The Crusaders will be smarting after their quest for a perfect season was ended by the Hurricanes last week, the loss also costing them the top seeding in the playoffs. —

A title for them will be a victory for a lopsided, ill-conceived format Gregor Paul