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Finally a totally predictable round with the two Aussies teams thrashed and the Blues only going through to the semis as the “lucky loser”.
The Canes were imperious in average conditions as they annihilated the Brumbies 66-12. Cam Roigaard showed us why he is the best halfback in the world and Jordy Barrett, who has grown another leg since coming back from Ireland, has sewn up the All Black second five slot. First five Reuben Love is demanding to join him, the way he is controlling the Canes attack.
As predicted, the Blues just couldn’t stay with the Crusaders, going down 52-31. The Crusaders have never lost a play-off game at home and were never going to relinquish that record.
The Reds made the Chiefs work for their victory in Hamilton but the home side got up on the back of their attacking flair and they came away to win 46-24. The worrying sign for the competition is that the crowds at both Hamilton and Wellington were minuscule, even if the conditions weren’t great.
Down in Gore, five of our tipsters picked all three games so there weren’t huge changes to our scoreboard. Michael, from East Gore Takeaways, picked only two, so drops from first equal to third equal due to the tight nature of the comp. Chris, from Country & Co, and Darryl, from Super Liquor, now lead by two points.
The winner will probably come from those four, as the next best are four points adrift.
Adam, from Newton Homes inexplicably had a shocker, picking only one result to tumble from fifth to seventh. Steven, from Capri, is resigned to having another wooden spoon in the kitchen at the restaurant.
So what happens in the semifinals?
In the closest semi, the Chiefs are at home to the Crusaders in a battle royal in Hamilton. The Chiefs (12-) go in as favourites but don’t write off the Crusaders — they are better than any team at winning these play off games. I’ll stick with Chiefs as their attack has more flair but they’ll miss No8 Sititi through concussion. I’ll back the finishers, McKenzie, Tupaea and Hutchinson to get it done.
The title elects the Hurricanes (13+) will comfortably put the Blues away in Wellington. They are the best team in this comp, with match winners in Dearns, Lakai, Roigaard, Love and Barrett and the Blues are pedestrian in response.
Roll on the final.