Super Rugby

The sold-out sign was already up as the high-flying Blues got set to welcome long-time foes the Crusaders north to Eden Park.

It came 24 years on from the dramatic 1998 final, where a late try earned the Crusaders their maiden title.

A red and black man through and through until moving north three years ago, Blues coach Leon MacDonald expected the 2022 final to play out in similar fashion.

"It's going to be a lot like that.

The home side were put under pressure early on at Eden Park, as the Brumbies' second-five Irae Simone silenced the home crowd with a barnstorming try in just the third minute of the game.

After a perfect start by the Brumbies the Blues quickly took control of the game, playing open running rugby which ultimately led to their first try of the game through number-eight Hoskins Sotutu.

The home side continued to dominate the game in the first-half, with first-five Beauden Barrett orchestrating much of the play.

That excruciating night in Canberra, settled only by a Beauden Barrett dropped goal at the death, forms a significant backdrop to Saturday’s semifinal at Eden Park.

After straining his right MCL in the round-14 victory over the Force, Cane didn’t travel to Fiji for the final-round win over the Fijian Drua last Saturday in the hope he would recover for the first round of the playoffs.

The All Blacks skipper sat out much of Tuesday’s training, and while assistant coach David Hill wasn’t ruling the veteran openside flanker out, it’s understood he will indeed be sidelined for the match at FMG Stadium Waikato (4.35pm kickoff).

The 27-22 victory concluded a day of drama in the final round of the regular season and sent the Force above the Highlanders into the eighth and final spot in the playoffs.

The Highlanders only need to avoid defeat against the Melbourne Rebels in Sunday's last match of the round, however, to leapfrog the Force and earn a quarter-final fixture against the Blues at Eden Park next week.

Fergus Burke, Will Jordan, Brodie McAlister and Tom Christie scored the tries for the Crusaders on Friday, who will host the seventh-placed Reds for a second successive week in the quarterfinals.

The Crusaders were some way off their machine-like best but shot out to an early 14-0 lead with a two-try burst in four minutes.

Flyhalf Burke was first to cross after the Reds botched a scrum deep in defence, with returned fullback Will Jordan touching down in the 14th minute after a turnover in midfield.

Fans watched from rooftops as the Drua made their first-ever appearance in the competition in Lautoka, Fiji's second-largest city, with more than 11,000 fans in attendance who were treated to a thriller that almost ended in a home victory.

The Chiefs led 21-7 at half-time, before withstanding a second-half Fijian comeback to hold on for a nail-biting 35-34 victory.

The Chiefs were made to sweat as a 22-point lead was whittled down to a solitary point over the final 10 minutes and the Drua, buoyed by the crowd, gave the Waikato side a fright.

In a physical and high-scoring match-up, the Force proved too strong and clinical for the home side scoring seven tries to four.

Run-on captain Ian Prior praised the character and resilience of the squad. "It's no secret that it's been a tough couple of weeks, but I'm immensely proud of the group," Prior explained.

"This one is for the fans. They've stuck with us through the years, and we wanted to make our family and friends proud, which I hope we did today."

The Brumbies looked like winning a battle of the best teams from either side of the Tasman Sea when hooker Billy Pollard crashed over the line off the back of a rolling maul in the 77th minute of a contest played at almost test match intensity.

The Blues turned the ball over, however, and made their way down to the home side's line and, with the referee playing advantage, All Blacks first five-eighth Barrett calmly took the three points to give his side a 12th straight win.

The 25-year-old, whose father is Samoan, raised his middle finger at the crowd after the Hurricanes' 22-18 win and said it was in reaction to racial slurs.

"I love when the crowds are hyped and throw chat from the stands. But there's a line and just because you're in the crowd doesn't give you the right to talk about my mother or my race," Kirifi wrote on social media.

"Abuse from the sideline is part of our job, and it's a part I personally love - however, this doesn't justify racial slurs or comments about my family."