Chiefs’ season hits some
GETTY IMAGES THE Chiefs’ Super Rugby season now looks to be at a crossroads, as some battered bodies and souls climb aboard for the long haul to South Africa.
In the wake of their 23-19 slump to the Jaguares in Rotorua on Friday night, the Chiefs’ hopes of being a realistic title contender could well now hinge on what plays out in next weekend’s clash against the Stormers in Cape Town.
They still hold a handy enough 6-3 record for the year, but are in danger of losing touch in the Kiwi conference.
Sitting sixth on the overall log, the Chiefs are still genuine playoff material, but it’s been shown time and again how tough it is to win the competition playing away from home in the finals. It means a top-two finish in the conference bare minimum, for a home quarterfinal at least.
But the Chiefs are going to have their work cut out in the four matches before the June international break.
What makes the Stormers clash even more vital is there is the second leg of the tour to contend with, where the Chiefs will be stripped of all their All Blacks against the Sharks in Durban because it clashes with a national three-day camp for North Island players in Auckland.
Just who boarded the bus from Hamilton to Auckland at 2.30am today is anyone’s guess, with the club not publicly naming their travelling party prior to departure.
Co-captain Sam Cane