Super Rugby
The Force continue to surprise after picking up their seventh win in the season. They beat the Cheetahs 23-16 in Bloemfontein with tries from Jayden Hayward and Nick Cummins. With 31 points they sit in a playoff spot but are three points out of the Australian lead. That belongs to the Brumbies who beat the Sharks 16-9 in a bitter affair in Canberra. Sam Carter scored the only try of the match with Christian Leali'ifano adding three penalties. Frans Steyn hit three penalties for the Sharks. Despite the loss the Sharks remain in first place in South Africa. The only team close to catching them is the Bulls, who beat the Stormers 28-12.
The Reds have endured a miserable season so far and were aptly punished by the Crusaders 57-29. Johnny McNicholl and Nadolo Nasiganiyavi led the way with two tries a piece for the Crusaders. They are still chasing the Chiefs in New Zealand. The Chiefs beat the Blues 32-20. The Hurricanes are just behind the Chiefs after beating the Rebels 25-15. Lastly, the Highlanders beat the visiting Lions 23-22.
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Aviva Premiership
The Premiership regular season came to close with Saracens, Northampton, Leicester, and Harlequins taking the playoff spots. The biggest surprise was the Harlequins getting past Bath as Bath sat in a playoff spot for much of the season. Mike Brown scored a try for the Harlequins while George Ford did the same for Bath. The difference was Nick Evans making four penalties compared to Ford's three. The Quins will face London rivals Saracens, who lost to Leicester 31-27. Saracens had locked up first place last week and elected to rest some starters. The Tigers could have moved up into second but when Northampton stomped London Wasps 74-13 that became impossible. Despite relegation Worcester claimed one last win as they beat Gloucester 28-17. In other scores London Irish beat Sale 22-20 and Exeter beat Newcastle 23-13.
Top 14
Racing Metro and Castres have advanced to the Top 14 semi-finals after beating Toulouse and Clermont respectively. Jonathan Sexton proved far too much for Toulouse as he hit seven penalties for Racing. Hosea Gear scored the only try of the match for Toulouse. Clermont's back and forth form came back to haunt them as they lost to Castres 22-16. Rory Kockott hit five penalties and Remi Lamerat scored a try for Castres. Clermont only made the score relatively close with a try at the end of the match. Racing will play Toulon and Castres will play Montpellier next week.
RaboDirect Pro12
Glasgow have secured a first ever home semi-final thanks to their 54-0 pounding of Zebre. The Warriors leaped over Munster, who lost to Ulster 19-17. Munster will now travel to Glasgow while Ulster will travel to Leinster. The Dubliners closed out their result season with a 15-13 win over Edinburgh. Bennetton Treviso lost to the Dragons 20-19 but still picked up enough points to represent Italy in next year's Champions Cup. The Ospreys are the team on the outside looking in at the playoffs. The beat Connacht 45-20. Finally, the Scarlets beat Cardiff 27-15.
RFU Championship
Bristol and Leeds will take narrow advantages into the second leg of their semi-final series. Bristol beat Rotherham 17-14 while Leeds beat London Welsh 38-31.
Pro D2
Lyon long ago sealed their promotion place but they finished off the regular season with a 27-26 win over La Rochelle as a point of emphasis. It's still all good for La Rochelle as they are the top seeded team in the playoffs and will play Pau, who beat Colomiers 15-9. The other semi-finalists are Agen and Narbonne. Agen beat Bressane 27-22 and Narbonne lost to Bourgoin 23-16. Bressane and Auch have been relegated. Auch beat Tarbles 31-28. Other winners include Carcassonne 43-31 over Albi, Beziers topping Aurillac 34-19, and Mont-de-Marsan beating Dax 40-0.
Eccellenza
Calvisano, Rovigo, Mogliano, and Viadana have made it to the postseason in Italy. The top three were set but Viadana's 19-12 win over Mogliano and Petrarca's 25-17 loss to Calvisano gave Viadana a playoff spot. Rovigo beat Capitolina 76-0. Elsewhere, Lazio beat San Dona 34-17 and Cavalieri beat Reggio 50-24. Viadan will host Calvisano and Mogliano will host Rovigo in the first leg of their semi-finals.
Vodacom Cup
The Griquas will face the Lions in the Vodacom Cup final next week. Both teams emerged with only one point wins. It took an 80th minute penalty from Johannes Prinsloo to give the Griquas the 15-14 win over the Pumas. The Lions didn't need the dramatics as they beat the Bulls 16-15.
Shute Shield
Manly stand as the only unbeaten team in the competition. They beat Northern Suburbs 26-5. Eastwood are a close second. They beat Parramatta 35-24. Other winners include Sydney University 46-7 over Gordon, Eastern Suburbs 35-30 over Penrith, Southern Districts 30-22 over Randwick, and Warringhan 34-32 over West Harbour.