As Super rugby resumes 10 teams are trying to squeeze into the eight playoff spots. Rugby writer Steve Hepburn has a look at what may happen over the next three weeks.
A quick look at the Super rugby playoff picture shows it is all a tad complicated.
No surprise there. This competition is about as logical and straightforward as Donald Trump's foreign policy.
The Crusaders sit on top of the table but could still miss out all together, while the Bulls, at 10th, perhaps sit more comfortably than many of the sides above them.
The Bulls play three teams in the bottom third of the competition in the last three weeks.
All this after not having to play a New Zealand team the entire season.
The Stormers have also yet to face a New Zealand opponent and, on their tour of Australia, get to take on the mighty Rebels and then the Force.
It is hardly scaling Everest in jandals.
But a draw is a draw. It is not going to change, so teams just have to get on with it.
The Blues sit in 11th position and probably have too many teams in front of them to get into the playoffs.
It is also hard to see the Blues getting over the Hurricanes in Wellington tomorrow night.
A loss there will totally kill off their playoff chances.
For the whole season, the question has been asked whether four New Zealand sides could make the playoffs.
At the moment all four of them are inside the top eight, but it is going to get a bit cannibalistic in the coming weeks.
However, the four could still make it provided results go their way. Most importantly, the sides are still in charge of their own destiny.
The best thing that can happen to the New Zealand sides will be if the Waratahs keep losing.
One would imagine the Waratahs side will be low on confidence, many of the team having been part of an Australian team put to the sword by the visiting English.
The Waratahs play the Sunwolves this weekend and then finish against the Hurricanes in Sydney and the Blues in Auckland.
If they lose the last two games then it could well be that four New Zealand sides will make the playoffs.
There are three really key clashes which are going to decide the fate of the New Zealand teams.
The first of these is tonight when the Chiefs and Crusaders do battle in Suva.
Then, on the final Saturday of the regular season on July 16, the Hurricanes will face the Crusaders in Christchurch and the Highlanders then do battle against the Chiefs under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
The strange thing is just one New Zealand team will host a playoff game in the first week of the finals.
So even if four New Zealand teams do make the playoffs only one will play at home - no matter what the points tally of the other three teams are.
It is called the conference system. Confusing system would perhaps be more apt.
Super rugby
The run in
Crusaders 45pts: Chiefs (a), v Rebels (h), Hurricanes (h)
Lions 42: Sharks (h), Kings (h), Jaguares (a)
Stormers 36: Rebels (a), Force (a), Kings (h)
Brumbies 34: Reds (h), Blues (a), Force (h)
Chiefs 42: Crusaders (h), Reds (a), Highlanders (a)
Hurricanes 40: Blues (h), Waratahs (a), Crusaders (a)
Highlanders 38: Kings (a), Jaguares (a), Chiefs (h)
Sharks 35: Lions (a), Cheetahs (h), Sunwolves (h)
Waratahs 34: Sunwolves (a), Hurricanes (h), Blues (a)
Bulls 32: Jaguares (a), Sunwolves (h), Cheetahs (a)
