The Emirates Lions went down at the hands of the Vodacom Bulls when they were beaten 48-27 in their Jukskei River derby in Pretoria on June 15.
The Vodacom Bulls and the Cell C Sharks have qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2019 Vodacom Super Rugby competition following the weekend’s final round of thrilling round-robin action. They will face the Hurricanes in Wellington and Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday respectively.
The Crusaders clinched the title of New Zealand Conference winners for the third year in a row and finished as the highest ranked team in the tournament on 58 points from 11 wins. The Jaguares won the South African Conference for the first time with 51 points, also from 11 wins, while in the Australian Conference, the Brumbies took top honours with 48 points.
The last quarter-final host spot is taken by the Hurricanes, who finished second in the New Zealand Conference (53 points). The remaining quarter-finalists are the Vodacom Bulls (41 points), Cell C Sharks (37), Chiefs (36) and Highlanders (36).
The Cell C Sharks edged the DHL Stormers 12-9 with a last-minute try in Cape Town. The Jaguares outgunned the Sunwolves 52-10 in Buenos Aires.
The quarter-final draw (all SA times):
June 21
9.35am: Crusaders vs Highlanders, Christchurch Stadium, Christchurch
June 22
12.05am: Jaguares vs Chiefs, Jose Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires
9.35am: Hurricanes vs Vodacom Bulls, Westpac Stadium, Wellington
12.05pm: Brumbies vs Sharks, GIO Stadium, Canberra
