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Associated Press

Christian Lealiifano’s return to Super Rugby after a courageous battle with cancer is inspiring players on both sides of Friday’s quarter-final between his Brumbies and the defending champion Hurricanes.
Lealiifano will take his place on the bench for the Brumbies’ home play-off at Canberra, 11 months after being diagnosed with leukemia. He underwent a life-saving bone marrow transplant in late 2016 and was told in February that his cancer is in remission.
The Wallabies utility back made his return to rugby in a festival match in Singapore in June and later in a fourth-grade club match, but a hamstring injury delayed his Super Rugby comeback.
Brumbies captain Sam Carter said Lealiifano’s return for the play-offs was “an awesome moment for the team, for Brumbies Rugby and for himself”.
“I don’t think people have seen how hard he’s worked to get in the position he’s in now, so it’s very exciting news,” Carter said.

Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham shed light on Lealiifano’s struggle to return to top-level rugby.
“I’ve seen him go through some really difficult times,” Larkham said. “I’ve seen him push himself beyond breaking at times to get right for this.”
Hurricanes players Nehe Milner-Skudder and Brad Shields said they were moved and inspired by Lealiifano’s recovery and return to rugby.
“It was pretty sad to hear what he went through, but to see him come out the other end and back playing footy ... I’m inspired by his story and I’ve been a big fan for a long time,” All Blacks winger Milner-Skudder said.
Lealiifano’s comeback also ushers in the first round of play-offs with a good news story which will help submerge widespread doubts about the fairness of the play-offs format.

The Brumbies earned the right to host the defending champions by winning the Australian conference, though they won only six of 15 games in the regular season.
Their 34 championship points would only have been good enough for ninth place on a combined Super Rugby standings.
At the same time, the Wellington-based Hurricanes won 12 of 15 regular season matches, scoring a competition record 596 points at an average of just under 40 per game and accumulating 58 championship points.
That would have placed them third behind the Lions and Crusaders on a combined table but, instead, was only good enough for fifth behind the four conference winners.

The Lions, having qualified in first place, will host the Durban-based Sharks in Johannesburg in a quarter-final on Saturday.
The seven-time champion Crusaders topped the New Zealand conference but finished two points behind the Lions in second place overall and will host the Dunedin-based Highlanders in Christchurch.
Super Rugby finals a whole new ball game for South Africa’s Lions after Kiwi-free run to the top
The Cape Town-based Stormers, who finished atop the South Africa One conference but with 20 points fewer than the Crusaders, earned a home quarter-final against the Hamilton-based Chiefs. They faced the same opponent in the same match at the same venue last season and lost 60-21.

The Lions beat the Sharks 27-10 last week and were propelled into first place when the Crusaders had their first loss of the season – at the hands of the Hurricanes – after 14 wins.
That left the Lions and Crusaders to face quarter-final derbies of which the Crusaders is likely the most difficult.
Brumbies in shock as Wallaby Christian Leali’ifano in hospital with leukaemia
The Crusaders won both of their regular season games against the Highlanders by three-point margins: 30-27 in round two and 25-22 in round 15.
“If the last two games are anything to go by there will be a bit of drama and a cliff hanger,” Crusaders assistant coach Leon MacDonald said.

The Lions have also beaten the Sharks twice this season: 34-29 in round six and again last weekend.
“They asked a lot of questions of us when they came up here first time round and we know we’re in for a very physical arm-wrestle,” Lions assistant Swys de Bruin said.
Every wolf has his day: Japan’s Sunwolves end horror Super Rugby year by flooring Auckland Blues
Stormers coach Robbie Fleck says he considered last year’s quarter-final loss to the Chiefs as a positive and it led directly to their 34-26 win over the Chiefs in round seven.
“They helped us by exposing the areas we needed to work on and we did that during the off-season,” Fleck said. “We looked at last year’s quarter-final before we played them in April and we played well at Newlands to beat them.”


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Super Rugby 2017

Christian Lealiifano’s return from cancer battle ‘an awesome moment’ for Super Rugby’s Brumbies

Christian Lealiifano’s cancer is in remission. Photo: AFP

(FILES) A file photo taken on May 10, 2014, shows Brumbie Christian Lealiifano kicking a penalty during the Super 15 rugby union match in Canberra. Wallaby star Christian Lealiifano has made an emotional return to rugby 10 months after he was diagnosed with leukaemia, his ACT Brumbies club said on June 23, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MARK GRAHAM / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE --

(FILES) This file photo taken on July 8, 2017 shows New Zealand's fly-half Beauden Barrett scoring a try during the third rugby union Test match between the British and Irish Lions and New Zealand All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland. All Blacks star fly-half Beauden Barrett's return boosts defending champions Wellington Hurricanes as the ACT Brumbies bid to end New Zealand's dominance of Australian sides in Friday's Super Rugby quarter-final. / AFP PHOTO / PETER PARKS

epa06077078 Damian Willemse of the Stormers heads for the tryline during the 2017 Super Rugby game between the Stormers and the Sunwolves at Newlands Rugby Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa, 08 July 2017. EPA/Ryan Wilkisky EDITORIAL USE ONLY

epa06060255 The Lions forward pack prepares to scrum the Sunwolves during the Super Rugby match between British and Irish Lions and Japan's Sunwolves at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, 01 July 2017. EPA/KIM LUDBROOK

epa06060247 The Lions' Ruan Combrinck (L) breaks the Sunwolves defense during the Super Rugby match between British and Irish Lions and Japan's Sunwolves at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, 01 July 2017. EPA/KIM LUDBROOK

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Utility back named on the bench for his side’s quarter-final against the Hurricanes just 11 months after being diagnosed with leukemia
