DHL Stormers guide to Super Rugby play-offs

With the Vodacom Super Rugby play-offs fast approaching, here is a guide for DHL Stormers fans to clarify the process.

At the end of the regular season the four conference winners (Australian conference, New Zealand conference, Africa conference 1 and Africa conference 2) will be seeded according to log points and will each host a quarterfinal. If teams are tied on log points, the team with the most wins in the season will be seeded higher.

In order to end on top of Africa conference 1 and secure a home quartefinal at DHL Newlands, the DHL Stormers need two log points from their two remaining games against the Force and the Southern Kings.

The four teams to play away from home in the quarterfinals, or wildcards, will be the next three teams in the combined Australasian group (Australian and New Zealand conferences combined) and one from the combined African group (Africa conference 1 and Africa conference 2 combined). These teams will then be seeded 5-8 according to log points and most wins if tied on log points.

After the quarterfinals, semifinals will be determined by the teams’ respective seeding, with the top two seeds hosting the semifinals.

As an example as the log currently stands after 15 rounds, the DHL Stormers would be seeded third and would host the Hurricanes, who are seeded sixth, in a quarterfinal at DHL Newlands. The other quarterfinals as it currently stands after 15 rounds, would see the Emirates Lions host the Cell C Sharks in Johannesburg, the Chiefs face the Highlanders in Hamilton and the Brumbies take on the Crusaders in Canberra.

Of course, there are still two league rounds to be played before the final seedings and quarterfinals can be determined, but just two more log points will assure the DHL Stormers of winning their conference (Africa 1) and hosting a play-off match at DHL Newlands.

Current seedings as the log currently stands after 15 rounds:

SEED 1 Emirates Lions (47 points, Africa conference 2 leaders)
SEED 2 Chiefs (46 points, New Zealand conference leaders)
SEED 3 DHL Stormers (41 points, Africa conference 1 leaders)
SEED 4 Brumbies (39 points, Australian conference leaders)

SEED 5 Crusaders (45 points, Australasian wildcard 1)
SEED 6 Hurricanes (44 points, Australsian wildcard 2)
SEED 7 Highlanders (43 points, Australasian wildcard 3)
SEED 8 Cell C Sharks (35 points, African wildcard)

As an example Play-offs as the log currently stands after 15 rounds:

Emirates Lions v Cell C Sharks in Johannesburg
Chiefs v Highlanders in Hamilton
DHL Stormers v Hurricanes at DHL Newlands
Brumbies v Crusaders in Canberra.

Tickets for the DHL Stormers’ final game of the regular season against the Southern Kings at DHL Newlands on Saturday, July 16 can be bought at wprugby.computicket.com.