Chiefs not ready to say goodbye
Don’t expect cries of ‘‘Do it for Dave’’ to be echoing off the walls inside the visitors changing room at Newlands.
That’s despite the reality that any game now could be the one that marks the end of an era for the Chiefs.
Tomorrow’s Super Rugby quarterfinal against the Stormers in Cape Town is the first chance of the curtain drawing on a golden spell for the franchise under coach Dave Rennie, whose arrival in 2012 reaped a maiden title, then a back-to-back championship in 2013 and playoffs berths every year since.
With the added overseas departure of three players who’ve been through that reign - Aaron Cruden, Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Hika Elliot - and James Lowe, Michael Leitch, Tom Sanders and assistant coach Kieran Keane all also confirmed to be going, the leaving crew could conceivably be used as a prime motivator for one big title push.
But that is not the case, with Rennie saying the squad would instead be energised by smaller targets.
‘‘We’re not talking about the end, we’re talking about the process,’’ he said. ‘‘So everything’s about making sure we’re prepared well and we’ve got attention to detail and then we bring the required intensity.
‘‘So there’s no talk being about this potentially being our last game and that sort of thing. It’s about getting it right and being excited by the chance to go home and have another crack against one of the Kiwis.’’
That would be next weekend in the form of the Crusaders in Christchurch or the Highlanders in Hamilton, in a draw which has been particularly unfavourable to the Chiefs.
‘‘It is what it is,’’ Rennie mused. ‘‘It’s a funny comp isn’t it, where we only lost two games this year, finished sixth.
‘‘We’re excited, chances are that if we’re going to win this, we’ll have to win it away from home. We’ve been here before, in this situation, and performed well.’’
The Chiefs only have to look back to the corresponding fixture last year to draw inspiration when they hammered the Stormers 60-21. However, that was the Stormers’ first meeting with Kiwi opposition in 2016, and they are now a more dangerous outfit, particularly at home, where they tipped up the Chiefs 34-26 in round seven.