Three SA sides shoot for Super 14 semifinal

The Sharks may have been the trendsetters in this year's Super 14, but both their and the table-topping Auckland Blues' hopes of home semifinals will be determined by some tough away games that remain in the competition.

Two other teams that have done the hard graft, the Lions and Bulls, are also looking good for semi-final spots, and one of the two can even get a home semi-final if results go their way.

There is no doubt that the Sharks have had a great draw, but their biggest challenge comes in the next few weeks as the top four sides set out to face each other in a battle that will finally determine the semifinal spots.

The Bulls, Lions and Crusaders face similarly tough derbies, but against teams further down on the log and perhaps have a slightly easier run towards the end of the competition.

Momentum will have counted for much, but the momentum for the next few weeks will be just as important in terms of Dick Muir's Sharks side's hopes, while the Western Force - surprisingly in fifth position - need to prove themselves against teams at the top of the log.

Some coaches believe that the magical number of log points may be as low as 38 to make the semi-finals, with 44 giving a home semi in an unusually tough competition.

The Blues sit on 28 points and the Sharks 25 while the Bulls and Crusaders have 22 apiece to make up the top four. The Force are fifth with 21 points and the Lions sixth with 20 and complete a sextet that are likely to fill the four semi-final spots.

The Bulls perhaps are over the worst as they travel to the Hurricanes in search of a fourth win in five games away from home and then have a break before the next round of the competition.

They then face two tough SA derbies - against the Stormers and Lions respectively - before doing battle against the Blues and Reds at Loftus Versfeld in continuing their campaign.

Should they get a victory this weekend they will need at least two wins in their last four games plus bonus points to ensure a semi-final spot, and even the fiercest critic would not say this is beyond the Bulls' grasp.

The Sharks seemed to have an easy tour at the beginning of the season, but with the strange nature of the tournament, the Force, Blues and Chiefs pose significant threats to their title aspirations before they return home for matches against the Lions and Stormers.

The Blues similarly don't have it easy.

They have consecutive games against four South African sides - the Cheetahs, Sharks, Stormers and Bulls - with the latter two games being in South Africa.

On either side of this quartet they have dangerous fixtures against the Chiefs and Force.

The Crusaders are poised for a top four spot, especially with the return of their All Blacks and face three of the Aussie sides in their last six fixtures, as well as three all New Zealand clashes.

Odds are they will win more than they will lose and thereby can be a sure bet for the semis.