The Hurricanes celebrate in Christchurch after Beauden Barrett sealed the deal with a try against the Crusaders.

The stumbling Lions handed the Hurricanes top spot on the Super Rugby ladder and a potential financial bonanza for the Wellington-based franchise in the next three weeks.

The first phase of the finals series is confirmed with the Hurricanes retaining top seeding after the Jaguares ended their debut season on a high by beating the Lions 34-22 in Buenos Aires.

Suddenly the Hurricanes are counting the money and dreaming of their maiden title, with the prospect of three successive home playoffs at Westpac Stadium starting with a quarterfinal against South Africa's Sharks on Saturday.

PHOTOSPORT The Hurricanes are No 1 in Super Rugby after the Lions lost to the Jaguares in Argentina.

There's potential for the semifinals to be an all-New Zealand affair, too, with the Highlanders playing the Brumbies in Canberra on Friday, the Crusaders facing the Lions in Johannesburg and the Chiefs heading to Cape Town where the Stormers await.

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After thrashing the Crusaders 35-10 in Christchurch on Saturday and then watching the Highlanders and Chiefs fail to overhaul them in the New Zealand conference finale in Dunedin, last year's runners-up then had to rely on the Jaguares beating a second-string Lions line-up while denying the South Africans a bonus point.

That scenario unfolded at Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires on Sunday morning with a strong second half performance from the test-strength Argentinians, who trailed 15-12 at the break.

Lions head coach Johan Ackermann opted to rest the entire starting line-up that secured the Africa 2 conference last weekend so his stars would be refreshed for a quarterfinal at Ellis Park - a selection policy that appeared defeatist.

Still, the Lions were competitive until the Jaguares scored a scrum-based penalty try in the 59th minute while No 8 Cyle Brink was in the sinbin.

Replacement forward Matias Alemanno then erased the Lions' losing bonus point when he was judged to have scored after a TMO review in the 66th minute. Nicolas Sanchez added the conversion to give the Jaguares a 12-point buffer they protected down the stretch.

The Hurricanes now host the eighth-ranked Sharks while the seventh-ranked Crusaders head to Johannesburg.

The Chiefs head to Cape Town on Monday to play the Stormers after they were unable to salvage a bonus point from their 25-15 loss to the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium. The defending champions open the quarterfinals with a Friday night clash with the Brumbies in Canberra.

The first play-off puzzle was solved early Saturday morning when the Sharks predictably ended the Sunwolves debut campaign on a losing note to claim the solitary African group wild card berth with a 40-29 victory at Kings Park in Durban.

Already holding a two-point lead over the Bulls - the only other wildcard contender - the Sharks did not require a bonus point to ensure their rival from Pretoria was only playing for pride when they played the final South African derby with the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

The Brumbies settled the Australian conference on Saturday night when they beat the Force 24-10 - another anticipated outcome - in Canberra to extinguish the Waratahs faint hopes after they could only register a bonus point from their 34-28 round-opening loss to the Blues at Eden Park.

The Africa 1 conference-winning Stormers were already guaranteed to finish third on the overall standings before a predictable 52-24 romp over the Kings at Newlands.

Given the dominance of New Zealand franchises against Australian and South African opposition there is potential for all four teams to contest the semifinals.

SUPER RUGBY QUARTERFINALS (seeding bracketed)

Friday

Brumbies (4) v Highlanders (5) at GIO Stadium Canberra, 8pm (NZ time)

Saturday

Hurricanes (1) v Sharks (8) at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, 7.35pm

Sunday

Lions (2) v Crusaders (7) at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, 2.30am

Stormers (3) v Chiefs (6) at Newlands, Cape Town, 5am

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