Super Rugby Playoff's -- Permutations, Permutations!

Permutations, permutations! -- But it's all pretty simple at the end of the day.

Like the Duckworth-Lewis system in cricket, we usually just ask -- what is the target and in how many overs do we have to get to the revised target ? Yes, the end goal.

But we don't ask how in heavens name number crunchers Messrs Duckworth and Lewis got to their final calculation ?

So, like in a tennis tournament, the draw for the Super Rugby playoff's are based on seedings, with the highest seeded team pitted against the lowest seeded team.

Ideally, at the end of it all, it's hoped that the first seed and second seed will square off in what should prove to be the most competitive final.

And that's exactly how the quarter-final match-up's were determined and will be carried over to the semi-finals as well.

Seedings 1-4 are the various Conference winners, followed by 5-8, based on overall log positions.

The seedings in order 1-8 were: Hurricanes, Lions, Stormers, Brumbies, Highlanders, Chiefs, Crusaders and Sharks.

The 5th seeded Highlanders, the defending champions, are through -- they ground out a 15-9 victory over the Brumbies in Canberra on Friday morning.

Being seeded as low as 5th, their chances of a home semi-final are slim and they are geared up for another away trip in the semi's.

The highest seeded teams in the semi-finals automatically retain home advantage if they win through.

Still confused ?...let's try this scenario -- The semi-finals will be determined by the results of the quarter-finals...Obvious!

The highest seeded winner will play the lowest seeded winner, the second highest seeded winner will play the second lowest seeded winner.

The Hurricanes won the New Zealand Conference and topped the overall log. That made them top seeds and earned a home quarter-final.Despite the Lions'

loss in Buenos Aires to the Jaguares saw them finish top of South Africa Conference 2 and second overall, to qualify as the second seeds.

The Stormers finished as South Africa 1 Conference winners, entering the quarterfinals as third seeds. The Australian Conference winner was the Brumbies, who qualified as fourth seeds, but their season is now over.

The wild card quarter-finalists are three teams from the Australasia Group: the Highlanders, Chiefs, Crusaders; and the Sharks from South Africa 2.

Based on the seedings, from a fan's perspective, it's still 'wait and see' until Saturday night when the Stormers and the Chiefs have locked horns at Newlands.

Simple really -- But this is not tennis...and there don't appear to be any real standout favourites.

Here's hoping that we don't see four New Zealand teams contesting the last four and our local interest in the Super Rugby competition is extinguished by the time the semi-finals dawn.