The regular season came to a close over the weekend and although all of the playoff spots were taken ahead of the weekend there was seeding on the line. The Hurricanes were always going to have the top seed as they ran away with the regular season title. They put a stamp on the season with a 21-13 win over the Chiefs. It wasn't all bad for the Chiefs as they finished fifth in the standings and will play the Highlanders in the playoffs. The Highlanders smashed the Blues 44-7. The other first round match has the Stormers against the Brumbies. The Stormers lost to the Sharks 34-12 and the Brumbies lost to the Crusaders 37-24. The Waratahs, along with the Hurricanes, will get a bye in the first round. They added to the Reds miserable season with a 31-5 win. Finally, the Force beat the Rebels 13-11 and the Cheetahs beat the Bulls 42-29.
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Top 14
Stade Francais got hot at the right time and picked up three straight victories, capped off with a 12-6 win over Clermont, for the Top 14 title. They had to beat rivals Racing Metro in the first round and that was followed up with a solid win over Toulon. Finally up it was Clermont. It wasn't the most high scoring match but four penalties from Morne Steyn were enough to overcome one penalty from Camille Lopez and one from Brock James for the win.
Tbilisi Cup
The first round of the Tbilisi Cup is in the books. Emerging Ireland had no difficulty with Emerging Italy 25-0 while Georgia beat Uruguay 19-10 in a tough match. Despite the rain that is pelting the region the tournament will still go on.
Nations Cup
In the Nations Cup the Argentina Jaguars beat Namibia 30-10 and Romania beat Spain 35-9.
Junior World Championship
The top four are set in the JWC with France and England advancing out of Pool A, South Africa from Pool B, and New Zealand from Pool C. France beat England 30-18 in their final pool match while Wales beat Japan 66-3. In Pool B scores, Samoa beat Italy 30-24 and South Africa beat Australia 46-13. In Pool C, Scotland beat Argentina 29-6 and New Zealand beat Ireland 25-3. Ireland, Wales, Australia, and Scotland will play for 5th-8th. Japan, Samoa, Argentina, and Italy will fight to avoid relegation.
Shute Shield
Manly are still the top side in the Shute Shield after a 45-26 win over Parramatta. Eastwood are second followed by Southern Districts and Randwick. Eastwood lost to Southern Districts 25-24 while Randwick beat Sydney University 20-15. In other scores, Gordon beat Eastern Suburbs 27-22, West Harbour beat Penrith 57-14, and Warringah beat Northern Suburbs 34-22.