Chiefs embrace underdog tag
RUGBY: The Chiefs are happily embracing an unfamiliar underdog tag as they go into Saturday night’s blockbuster Super Rugby semifinal against the Hurricanes in Wellington.
Competition frontrunners for much of the season, the Chiefs have now arrived in the capital as the outsiders, the ones with nothing to lose.
Their hosts are the ones with all the expectation on them, as they search once more for a maiden championship crown.
The Canes went through last year as top dogs before falling at the final hurdle.
And now, with great form behind them and top seeding guaranteeing them home games, it is again theirs to lose.
It will make for some edgy fans at Westpac Stadium. If they can’t get the job done this year they might wonder if it’ll ever happen.
On the other side of the equation, the Chiefs have had to make the long journey from Cape
Town to Cake Tin, with the comfort of two titles already in the bank, and essentially the freedom to just keep having a dig, with Rennie happily conceding his side could slide into this one under the radar.
‘‘Oh absolutely, it’s good,’’ he said. ‘‘There’s no doubt they’re the form side in the competition.
‘‘They’ve been incredibly consistent and had pretty tough opponents over the last five or so games.’’
The trip back from South Africa after the stunning slaying of the Stormers has meant a lighter week for the Chiefs, which has guarded them against over-thinking their assignment too much.
‘‘It’s easy to get sucked into trying to do too much in these weeks because you think the game’s more important,’’ Rennie said.
‘‘Sometimes less is more. We’ve had a whole year of training.’’
The key for his side, Rennie said, was to be very sharp defensively, such is the firepower of the Hurricanes, with TJ Perenara and Beauden Barrett outstanding in their demolition of the Sharks last weekend, Jason Woodward in fine form and keeping Julian Savea on the bench, and the locking combo of Michael Fatialofa and Vaea Fifita continuing to flourish.
It will be the same in reverse, with the Chiefs able to strike without even having much ball to play with, and backing their skillsets even in likely testing conditions.
The matchups across the park are intriguing, with the highlights to feature Chiefs co-captains Aaron Cruden and Sam Cane, against fellow All Blacks Barrett and Ardie Savea.
The visitors will be buoyed by the return from injury of Seta Tamanivalu and Michael Leitch, while the Hurricanes sweat on a last-minute call on captain Dane Coles (ribs).
The Hurricanes have won nine of the last 11 between these two in Wellington, but not in April, when they lost a thriller 28-27. And this time the Chiefs will have James Lowe, Anton Lienert-Brown, Nathan Harris and Dominic Bird in their ranks.
The Canes have also lost all six of their playoff matches against New Zealand teams.
And from what we’ve seen of the Kiwi derbies this year, another brutal contest is in the offing.
‘‘Of course playoff footy goes to another level, there’s a little bit more on it,’’ Rennie said.
‘‘So we understand that, but we’ve seen our boys dig deep on countless times this year.
‘‘We’ve done a bit of travel and there’s been a bit of adversity and they’ve fronted really well.
‘‘You’ve got to enjoy this time of year.
‘‘We’re pretty stoked to be part of it.’’