Brumbies to Face Hurricanes, Reds to Meet Chiefs in Super Rugby Pacific Playoffs

The Brumbies will play the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday night and the Reds will face the Chiefs in Hamilton the following evening in the opening round of Super Rugby Pacific playoffs. Australian teams have not won a playoff match in New Zealand since the professional era began in 1996, leaving the combined record at 0-21.

The Brumbies entered the final round of the regular season with a chance to finish as high as third.

A 21-19 loss to Moana Pasifika at Canberra Stadium on Saturday afternoon left them in sixth place. The Brumbies posted a 3-4 record at home this season and lost five of 15 line-out throws in that defeat. Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham told his players to "flush" the disappointment of the Moana result.

The Brumbies won two of three matches played in New Zealand this season, including a 50-24 victory over the Crusaders, but lost 45-12 to the Hurricanes during Super Round in Christchurch. The Hurricanes have not lost at home this season. Larkham said the set-piece would be a focus at training ahead of Friday's match.

The Reds finished fifth on the standings after beating Moana Pasifika 33-31 and the Fijian Drua 45-24. In the Drua match they led 21-5, trailed 24-21 early in the second half, then scored four unanswered tries to win. They lost 31-21 to the Chiefs in round 13 at Lang Park.

Reds skipper Fraser McReight referred to a "hoodoo" when discussing the team's finals record in New Zealand. The Reds lost to the Chiefs in the opening week of the playoffs in both 2023 and 2024 and lost twice to the Crusaders in Christchurch over the past five seasons. Hunter Paisami was ruled out with a knee injury and Seru Uru with a back injury ahead of the Chiefs match.