NO WONDER Waratahs team manager Chris Webb has made a mountain of temporary bookings for flights and accommodation all over the Southern Hemisphere in preparation for the Super 14 finals.
Such is the congestion at the top of the ladder with one round to go, that while one semi-final will be played in Christchurch, the other will be in either Wellington, Sydney, Cape Town, Durban or Auckland.
And if the Waratahs fail against the Reds at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, they face the excruciating prospect of one minute playing for a home semi-final to missing the finals altogether.
Last week, nine teams remained in contention for the finals. Now it is down to seven, with Australia's only finals hope being the Waratahs after the Brumbies and Force lost on the weekend.
While the Crusaders will end the home-and-away series in top spot, guaranteeing a Christchurch semi-final on either May 23 or 24, five teams - the Hurricanes, Waratahs, Stormers, Sharks or Blues - can finish in second spot.
If teams finish on equal points, a for-and-against quotient will determine final positions. The Hurricanes boast the best quotient of the six teams behind the Crusaders, but that will change if they lose heavily in the final round against the Blues in Auckland on Friday night.
A Waratahs win over the Reds would guarantee them a finals spot, and they would then rely on either bonus points or the Hurricanes faltering at Eden Park to ensure a home semi at the Sydney Football Stadium on May 24.
If the Waratahs lose, they will be out of the finals if two or more of the Stormers, Sharks or Blues win.
The make-up of the final four will come down to the last game of the regular season when the Sharks meet the Chiefs in Durban early Sunday morning, Sydney time.
To ensure the Waratahs are prepared for any final venue and can get there quickly, Webb has been booking flights and hotels in several cities. Webb was hoping that after the weekend's round, he may have been able to cancel some bookings. But the situation yesterday remained the same - well and truly up in the air until next Sunday morning.
Still, the most likely scenario is the final four remaining as they are after round 13. The Hurricanes, Waratahs and Stormers should all win to hold onto their spots.
If that happens, the Waratahs will travel to Wellington to play the Hurricanes, while the Stormers have the unenviable task of flying from Cape Town to Christchurch to meet tournament favourites the Crusaders.
Each week, Greg Growden and Rupert Guinness pick Australia's form players of the round.
AUSTRALIAN TEAM OF THE WEEK
15 Clinton Schifcofske
14 Lote Tuqiri
13 Morgan Turinui
12 Berrick Barnes
11 Peter Hynes
10 Kurtley Beale
7 Phil Waugh
6 Rocky Elsom
5 Dan Vickerman
4 James Horwill
3 Al Baxter
2 Tatafu Polota-Nau
1 Benn Robinson
(Number of times selected in brackets).
Player of the round: PHIL WAUGH. The Waratahs skipper provided the required captains game in the wet to give the visitors a sniff of victory.
Try of the round: CAMERON SHEPHERD. Outstanding solo try by the Force fullback which included several kick throughs and a mad dash before scoring.
