The final two positions, seventh and eighth, were not decided until the final match of round 15. Wins by the Blues over the Highlanders and the Brumbies over the Melbourne Rebels the night before locked in the top six positions.
The Fijian Drua created history by claiming their first ever quarter-finals spot with a comprehensive win over the Queensland Reds in Suva. It was then down to the last match of the regular season to determine the last spot in the quarter-finals. The top of the table Chiefs beat the Western Force, who had to win to secure a playoffs berth, to ensure the Reds held onto the final spot. The Reds secured the position ahead of the Highlanders due to a better points difference from all matches.
The quarter-finals rankings (based on final regular season standings) are:
1. Chiefs
2. Crusaders
3. Blues
4. Brumbies
5. Hurricanes
6. NSW Waratahs
7. Fijian Drua
8. Queensland Reds
The teams to miss out on the quarter-finals are: Highlanders, Western Force, Melbourne Rebels and Moana Pasifika.
The Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final match schedule is:
Friday 9 June, 7.35pm NZT: Blues (3) v NSW Waratahs (6), Eden Park, Auckland
Saturday 10 June, 4.35pm NZT: Chiefs (1) v Queensland Reds (8), FMG Stadium Waikato
Saturday 10 June, 7.05pm NZT: Crusaders (2) v Fijian Drua (7), Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch
Saturday 10 June, 7.35pm AEST: ACT Brumbies (4) v Hurricanes (5), GIO Stadium, Canberra
The rules for the Super Rugby Pacific Finals series dictate the following match schedules:
• Quarter-finals: 1 v 8, 2 v 7, 3 v 6 and 4 v 5 with the top-ranked team hosting
• Semi-Finals: top-ranked quarter-final winner hosts against lowest-ranked quarter-final winner & 2nd highest ranked quarterfinal winner hosts 3rd highest ranked winner
• Final: top-ranked semi-final winner hosts the other semi-final winner.
Tickets for the quarter-finals will be released to the general public at the following times:
Crusaders v Fijian Drua: Monday 5th June, 5pm
Blues v NSW Waratahs: Tuesday 6th June, 9am
Chiefs v Queensland Reds: Wednesday 7th June, 10am