Super 14: Can the chasing pack claw their way into the top four?
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on April 24th, 2008
With just four weeks left in the 2008 edition of the Super 14, the chasing pack will need to cause some upsets if they are to live to see the semi finals.
After a dismal start to the season, the Chiefs have hauled themselves up the ladder and are now the hottest team in the competition. Rattling off four wins in a row has the Chiefs just outside the top four, and a somewhat soft run home give them a very good chance at a semi final place. This weekend’s clash with the Reds should set the Chiefs up, but their final three games are on the road where they will need at least two wins to leap into the top four.
The Hurricanes were one of the competition’s top teams, but picking up just one win from their last four games has them running out of puff. Games against the two bottom teams, the Lions and Cheetahs, should be the medicine they need, but their final clash against the Blues could well decide their season.
Starting the season well, many picked the Blues to go all the way to the final, but suffering a midseason form slump now see the men from Auckland fighting for their survival. Two of their final games are against bottom placed teams, but they will need to claim at least one win this weekend against the Crusaders, or in the final round over the Hurricanes to keep their season alive.
They may be just three points out of the top four. but the Brumbies have a tough run home and will need other results to go their way if they are to make the semi finals. Away games against the in form Stormers and resurgent Bulls are a tough ask, followed by a final round clash with the unpredictable Force, who often lift their game against other Australian teams.
Unlike the other teams in contention for the semis, the Force have just three games left and all of them are against other contenders. Unfortunately, even if the Force win all their remaining games, it probably will not be enough to book a semi final.
At this point in the season, it seems likely that the Crusaders, Sharks and Stormers will be semi finalists, with the Blues, Hurricanes and Chiefs fighting it out for the final spot. But it will just take one upset to turn the playoff picture on its head.
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The Super 14: Can the chasing pack claw their way into the top four? by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
