Round Thirteen of Super 14 action did little to unravel a tightly-knotted tussle for semi-final places, leaving seven teams vying for four play-off spots in the regular season's final week.

Top-four placings regularly shifted with results of weekend matches and first place changed hands twice on Saturday, as the semi-final picture remained as unclear as it had been weeks ago.

South Africa's Bulls ended the round in first place after escaping with a four-try bonus point over the Cheetahs - a win that displaced the Chiefs on top of the table, who had earlier beaten the Hurricanes 16-8 to claim top spot.

The Bulls and Chiefs, with 42 and 41 points respectively in first and second places, held the strongest claims to semi-final spots by the end of the season's penultimate round.

Behind them, the Hurricanes, Crusaders, Brumbies, Sharks and Waratahs have all been left to press their play-off claims this weekend.

The Hurricanes have 39 points in third place; the Crusaders and Brumbies - who were both Round Thiteen winners - have 37 while the Sharks and Waratahs have 36 points.

The final round has thrown up two compelling contests among those teams: the Chiefs and Brumbies meet in Hamilton on Friday while the Sharks and Bulls clash in Durban on Saturday in direct contests for play-offs spots.

The Hurricanes play the Reds in Brisbane - a match they are expected to win, although the Reds have been a difficult team for the Hurricanes in recent years.

The Crusaders play the Blues - who were beaten 37-15 by the Brumbies on Saturday - and the Waratahs play the Lions, needing to win in South Africa for the second straight week to keep up their semi-finals challenge.

The critical element of the final round is not just the contest for semi-finals places but the more compelling battle for a home play-off.

The Bulls, with 42 points and a points differential of plus 66, will almost certainly play a semi-final in Pretoria if they beat the Sharks in Durban. The Chiefs, favourites for the title, have a points differential of plus 99.

A win over the Brumbies on Friday would give them a semi-final place for only the second time in 14 seasons and probably their first home semi-final.

The Hurricanes, with 39 points and a differential of plus 92, will also go into the final round with a chance of achieving a home semi-final, although they will depend on either the Chiefs or Bulls being beaten.

The Brumbies can achieve a maximum 42 points with a bonus point win over the Chiefs on Friday but have a points differential of only plus 9 and could only claim first place with a substantial victory and if the Bulls lose - and if all the other results go their way.

The Crusaders, similarly, need to win and to improve their plus-31 differential to challenge for first or second place.


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