SYDNEY, May 30 (Reuters) - Waikato Chiefs warmed up for the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs with a 59-34 thumping of the Auckland Blues in Hamilton on Saturday, depriving the visitors of a home quarter-final in the process.
Already assured of second seeding going into the final round of the regular season, the Chiefs rested a string of regular starters and gave the Blues a 10-0 headstart but then ran rampant with nine tries at Waikato Stadium.
The Blues needed a victory to move back above the Canterbury Crusaders into third place and host the playoff between the two teams next Saturday, but will now travel to Christchurch to take on the reigning champions at the new Te Kaha stadium.
"I think we need to have a good look at ourselves and see how, when the momentum starts going the other way, we can get it back on our side," said Blues captain Anton Segner.
"We need to make sure that we take the learnings out of (this loss), but then move on and be better for it."
In next week's other playoffs, the top seeded Wellington Hurricanes will host the ACT Brumbies in the New Zealand capital on Friday and the Chiefs will play the Queensland Reds in Hamilton on Saturday.
With only three playoff matches, the highest-seeded losing team will also progress to the semi-finals.
The Crusaders maintained their unbeaten record at their new stadium by brushing aside a much-changed Hurricanes side 47-14 with a ruthless display of attacking rugby on Friday.
Winger Sevu Reece, Super Rugby's record try scorer, started and finished the scoring for the Crusaders and also converted his second try -- his 73rd in the competition -- to cap his 100th Super Rugby appearance.
REDS RALLY IN BRISBANE
In Friday's late match, the Reds rallied late in the second half to claim a 45-24 win over the Fijian Drua in Brisbane after mercurial winger Manasa Mataele had scored a hat-trick of tries to give the visitors a three-point lead.
The Reds, who had frittered away an earlier 16-point lead, responded in ruthless fashion with tries from number eight Harry Wilson, hooker Matt Faessler, flanker Sere Uru and replacement hooker Richie Asiata in the last 25 minutes.
That left the Brumbies needing a victory over bottom club Moana Pasifika in Canberra on Saturday afternoon to leapfrog the Reds and reclaim fifth place.
Moana, who were placed into liquidation this week and look set to fold after five years in the competition, came up with a stunning 21-19 upset in their final game to snap a 12-match losing streak.
The Brumbies held a 19-14 lead going into the last 10 minutes but Moana, down to 14 men, refused to give up and replacement Melani Matavao scooted over the line for a try in the 73rd minute.
"It's massive for this club," said Moana flyhalf Pat Pellegrini, who scored two tries and slotted the winning conversion.
"We said before the game that we should use the emotion, it might be the last time we put on the jersey. It's been a tough year but we've stuck together."
In the dead-rubber final match of the round, Western Force beat New South Wales Waratahs 31-25 in Perth to finish seventh in the final standings.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney and Michael Church; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
