WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The league-leading Hurricanes and second-place Blues will meet Saturday in the 12th round of Super Rugby Pacific, in a match which likely will decide which team carries first placing into the playoffs.

Top ranking at the end of the regular season is a valuable prize: the team that starts the playoffs in first place retains home advantage as long as they remain in contention. The second-place team enjoys home advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs but loses that advantage in the final if the top team qualifies.

The Auckland-based Blues and Wellington-based Hurricanes each have to play the fourth-place Chiefs before the end of the regular season, and that could potentially upset the contest for first place. But Saturday’s outcome will go a long way to deciding which finishes atop the table.

The Hamilton-based Chiefs are at home Friday to Moana Pasifika and should hold onto fourth spot, though they’ll be without flyhalf Damian McKenzie who is recovering from a head knock. The Chiefs play significantly less well without McKenzie to steer them and that might come as some consolation to the Blues and Hurricanes.