It is a six-team format: 1 v 6, 2 v 5 and 3 v 4.
The three winning sides progress to the semifinals and will be joined by the highest-ranked loser.
Green Island (30 points) has secured top billing regardless of the result in its final round-robin game against University at Miller Park tomorrow.
Taieri (23 points) is also through to the playoffs, so it will not have as much at stake when it hosts Harbour at Peter Johnstone Park.
You can put a line through Zingari-Richmond (4 points) and Alhambra-Union (11 points). Both teams have missed the cut but can still have an impact on who makes the top six.
Kaikorai (18 points) should be too strong for Zingari-Richmond at Montecillo. Word is the Colours are low on front-rowers and have sent out an SOS to the other clubs to secure a couple of loan players.
But Kaikorai was humbled 44-14 by Taieri last week and lost to Green Island 35-12 a week earlier.
It has not been a particularly impressive patch for the Demons. That said, surely they can bank on collecting five points and securing a playoff spot.
Southern (17 points) is just outside the top six. Perhaps its best hope of slipping into the playoffs is to post a bonus point win against Alhambra-Union at Bathgate Park.
That would see it move to 22 points and overhaul Dunedin (21 points), which has a bye this weekend.
Harbour (18 points) is vulnerable as well. A win against Taieri will secure a playoff berth, but the defending champion Eels struck good form last week and will be keen to beat the Hawks and avoid playing top qualifier Green Island any earlier than needed.
University (21 points) is in a solid position but could still slip out of the playoffs if it fails to pick up any points against Green Island.
Kaikorai and Harbour can leapfrog the students with wins, and Southern can also overhaul them with a bonus-point win.
That would leave University level with Dunedin but the Sharks would progress as they beat University during the round robin.
