Wellington, New Zealand (AP) - Super Rugby's playoff puzzle locks the game in the final round of the regular season. Hamilton's Chiefs won first place, while defending champion Bruce finished sixth, and Moana Pasifika's best season of all time ended in a defeat.

The Chiefs and the Blues will now repeat last year's final next weekend.

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Friday’s game decided on the top three who won home advantage in the first playoff leg of the next weekend, while Saturday’s game ranked fourth and sixth, setting up a series of competitive semifinals.

The second-place Crusaders will meet the Queensland Reds in Christchurch on Friday; the Chiefs will host Oakland Bruce in a game between neighboring teams on Saturday, while Brumis will face the Hurricanes in Canberra Wellington. History shows that home advantage is a key factor in the Super Rugby playoffs.

The Last Highlanders gave the first-ranked Chief an unexpectedly tough time Friday with a 41-24 mark.

The Chiefs made three attempts and led 19-0 with a better lead than time. But in the 20th minute, Chiefs midfielder Quinn Tupaea broke the Chiefs' momentum with a head injury, and the Highlanders lowered the lead by 5 points twice at the end of the half.

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The Highlanders are 10 points behind with the remaining six minutes to close to the score, which will make the last time tense. But Lock Tupou Vaa'i made his third attempt in the 80th minute to raise the Chiefs' winning rate.

Despite the last inning of the Highlanders, the loss rate was less than 7 points in 8 of 11 failures.

Crusaders ascend

The Crusaders scored in a controversial late stage, trying to beat Brumis 33-31 in Canberra to second place and entrust Brumis to third.

Now, in eight of the last nine super football games, Blooms is already eligible for the playoffs. They finished first in 2004, and it was a year when they continued to win the championship.

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"It's been 21 years, and every year we start the season and talk about the first two goals," coach Stephen Larkham said. “Yes, we missed an opportunity again.

"It's even harder for us. We need some luck to get to the semifinals, but it's out of control now."

The sea Pacific falls

The Hurricanes beat Moana Pasifika 64-12 to fourth place. Moana Pasifika won six games in a season for the first time, beating the Bruce and the Crusaders and scored five points in the playoffs.

Moana Pasifika players and fans celebrated their season with enthusiasm and led the songs of Captain Ardie Savea.

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"You know, everyone doubts us, God believes in us," Savia said. "These boys are together, and we bring people together.

"We are not satisfied. Our goal is to win the game and make the top six, but that's not the intention."

The Blues started the final round in seventh place and went into the playoffs with a 46-6 victory over the NSW Valatan, who was also in the playoffs.

Their clash with the Chiefs replayed last year's final next weekend, with the Blues defeating the Chiefs 41-10. This year, the Chiefs started with a firm favorite.

The Reds beat Fiji Drua 52-7 in the regular season finals and ranked fifth. Drua won four games in the regular season but lacked the ability to win.

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