Super Rugby 2015: Storylines to Follow in Round 18

The Super Rugby season will reach the end of its round-robin phase this Saturday, and Round 18 of the 2015 campaign will supply answers to a raft of quivering questions.

This weekend also marks the end of an era in Super Rugby, as 2016 will see the league increase to an 18-team format, making the Round 18 schedule just that more special.

The Hurricanes have already tied up the top spot, but who will finish closest to the runaway leaders? Which players might impress in their last bid for World Cup inclusion? Can we expect another David Pocock hat-trick?

We will discuss all that and more as we examine the top storylines surrounding Round 18 of the Super Rugby season.

With the Hurricanes far and away this term's most consistent outfit, the Super Rugby race has for some time looked like a rush for second place, and three sides remain in that fight.

The Waratahs, Stormers, Chiefs, Highlanders and Brumbies will be the five teams joining the Canes in the post-season, but the small matter of their finishing order is yet to be determined.

As things stand, the 'Tahs lead the Australian conference but are level on 47 points with the Brumbies, just edging their Canberra rivals on wins amassed this season.

In what promises to be a thrilling finale, a bonus-point win over the eliminated Crusaders could see the Brumbies through to a home semi-final, provided Michael Cheika's side can't match them or do better against the Reds.

The South African conference leaders, the Stormers, will hold onto the small hope that neither side will emerge victorious and thus seek second spot for themselves with a tough trip to the Sharks at Kings Park.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs and the Highlanders, the Hurricanes' rampant form means fourth is the best they can hope for, as they face the Canes and Blues, respectively, in the hopes of finishing as high as possible.

A play-off future will gift certain players the advantage of impressing for at least another week, but not every star will see their season run past this weekend's fixtures.

Melbourne Rebels talisman Scott Higginbotham (pictured) will be among those hoping to leave a lasting mark on Wallabies coach Cheika before the Rugby World Cup pecking order is decided.

Of course, the Rugby Championship will provide another screening test for those looking for international selection, but some may not feel their place in that tournament is assured just yet.

Perhaps most intriguing is the half-back collision of Waratahs duo Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps, who lace up against previous Wallabies tandem Quade Cooper and Will Genia.

All are searching for World Cup fame.

Liam Napier of Stuff.co.nz also reports Charles Piutau is back in the Blues lineup to face the Highlanders on Friday, leaving his return to fitness until the very last minute in the hopes of impressing All Blacks boss Stave Hansen.

Bulls maestro Handre Pollard will take on the Cheetahs, hoping to sign off his campaign with a flourish, but the likes of Oupa Mohoje and Willie le Roux will stand opposite him, also seeking to secure Springboks prominence.

The list of potential call-ups for national-team duty later this summer is a long one, and many of those ending their seasons in Round 18 will count this as their last chance to shine.

With the end of another Super Rugby normal season also comes the annual exodus of those making way for pastures new, and perhaps not many will have expected this to be the Crusaders' turn for goodbyes.

The Christchurch club failed to make the play-offs this year for the first time since 2001, but even sadder than the end of that streak are the periods Dan Carter and Richie McCaw will soon pen to their Crusaders careers.

McCaw, 34, and Carter, 33, made their Crusaders debuts in 2001 and 2003, respectively, and it's no surprise that aforementioned streak of prolonged play-off contention has come under their guard.

Of course, no two men make a team, but what a pair to possess. The New Zealand centurions will be massively missed figures, and All Blacks fans as a whole dread the time their international days reach an end, too.

Carter heads to Racing 92 later this year, and retirement possibly beckons for McCaw, but one last hurrah against the Brumbies gives both the opportunity to go out the only way they know how: with class in quantity.

For the top six, this weekend presents competing coaches with a host of dilemmas regarding who to play and who to rest with their post-season schedule in sight.

Of course, the temptation may be to risk those ranked "doubtful" in the bid to seal a higher-seeded finish, while others may trust in their reserves and look forward to the fixtures to come.

The Chiefs are somewhat lucky in that the Hurricanes are the only side with nothing to lose. Chris Boyd will have some honour to defend in the all-New Zealand clash and the principle of fighting for a 14th win of the season, but then he's earned the right to rest a few stars too.

Logan Savory of Stuff.co.nz reports a niggling groin problem has Highlanders playmaker Malakai Fekitoa at 50-50 to face the Blues, with club coach Jamie Joseph far from certain on where to go from here. "He looks OK but whether he plays or not is going to be a 50-50 call," Joseph said. "We'll see."

It's risky business putting players forward who might be better off with a break, but coaches must make such difficult calls at this clutch part of the campaign. 

As exciting as it is to see the bastions of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia crossing borders to face one another, there's a certain anticipation every season revolving around internal conference affairs.

The Brumbies and Crusaders are the only two teams not facing an opponent from within their own conference this weekend, while the Lions leave their table fate up to the others, having ended their campaign last weekend.

As aforementioned, the Hurricanes' likely alterations among their starting XV will give the Chiefs encouragement, while the Sharks and Stormers make for a tantalising clash, as do the Blues and Highlanders.

It's often in these familiar affairs that we can see expectations turned on their head. Emotions are likely to be running high, and fans can only hope it produces an even greater spectacle across the board.