Chiefs out to halt Crusade
Defending champions and current table-toppers – there’s no bigger motivation for the Chiefs than the status the Crusaders roll in to town with tonight.
Two sides with quite the fierce recent rivalry, expect this Super Rugby showdown to be another allwilling encounter, as the Hamilton hosts gear up for a backyard scrap with the big dogs of the Kiwi neighbourhood.
The Chiefs are clinging to an outside chance of a top-two conference finish and thus attaining a home quarterfinal, while the Crusaders are out to tighten their grip on the all-important No 1 seeding for the playoffs.
And as if the New Zealand derbies aren’t physically combative beasts at the best of times, throw in the fact it’s the last round before the international break, and you shouldn’t see many tanks leave this one without the fuel light on.
Both teams come into it in good touch, on the back of contrasting wins last weekend: the Crusaders’ 24-13 wet-weather masterclass over the Hurricanes in Christchurch, and the Chiefs’ free-flowing 39-27 effort over the Waratahs in Hamilton.
But which will we have on Saturday night? MetService has everyone guessing, with ‘‘a few spots of evening rain’’ said to be in order.
There’s no doubt what the Chiefs will prefer, with co-captain Charlie Ngatai certainly wary of conditions which could bring the vaunted visitors’ pack into play, and their crafty cool-headed first five-eighth Richie Mo’unga.
‘‘Yeah, I think everybody hopes for a dry track, it’d certainly help us out, and it’d be running rugby then,’’ Ngatai said.
The Chiefs’ forwards, though, have stood tall themselves on several occasions, and they will be brimming for the test against the best. Men such Brodie Retallick and Liam Messam have been in a few scraps in their time, while cocaptain Sam Cane will provide extra punch and leadership late in the piece, returning via the bench after five weeks out with an abdominal injury.
Then there’s those late-callup props Karl Tu’inukuafe and Angus Ta’avao, who have continued to impress and got the team’s scrum to be the most successful in the competition. If the hosts can minimise their set-piece ball disruption, then first five-eighth Damian McKenzie can swing his backline into action, in what should be an intriguing matchup against fellow All Black Mo’unga, who has been an absolute key to the Crusaders’ success, winning 18 of his last 19 Super Rugby games, including his last five against Kiwi sides.
The Chiefs, though, have made winning a habit on this patch, victorious in their last 11 outings.
After they took this fixture to Fiji the past two years, this will be the first time they have hosted the Crusaders in Hamilton since February 2015 – that being a night they cantered to a 40-16 victory – which still stands as a Chiefs record over the Crusaders.
That performance was the start of a four-game winning run for them in the matchup, but the Crusaders have taken the whip hand since, Super Rugby, Rd 16 Chiefs v Crusaders FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton Saturday, 7.35pm
Solomon Alaimalo, Toni Pulu, Anton Lienert-Brown, Charlie Ngatai (co-c), Sean Wainui, Damian McKenzie, Brad Weber, Liam Messam, Mitch Karpik, Luke Jacobson, Michael Allardice, Brodie Retallick, Angus Ta’avao, Nathan Harris, Karl Tu’inukuafe. Liam Polwart, Sam Prattley, Jeff Thwaites, Jesse Parete, Sam Cane (co-c), Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Marty McKenzie, Shaun Stevenson.
David Havili, Israel Dagg, Seta Tamanivalu, Jack Goodhue, George Bridge, Richie Mo’unga, Bryn Hall, Jordan Taufua, Matt Todd (c), Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, Quinten Strange, Scott Barrett, Michael Alaalatoa, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody. Andrew Makalio, Wyatt Crockett, Donald Brighouse, Luke Romano, Ethan Blackadder, Mitchell Drummond, Mitchell Hunt, Jone Macilai. claiming honours in the past three encounters – including the 45-23 result in round one this year in Christchurch, where a couple of late tries blew the score out, and hasn’t had the Chiefs dwelling.
‘‘It’s pretty much a new team, there’s lots of injuries since then,’’ Ngatai said. ‘‘But the way the boys have been playing, it’s been pretty good. I know it’s going to be another step up in terms of the challenge this week against the Crusaders, they’re pretty sharp at this time.
‘‘To be able to grind a team like the Hurricanes, that shows character. I know we’re in for a big night, so we have to be at our best.’’
Meanwhile, injured Chiefs lock Dominic Bird has played his final game of Super Rugby.
The 27-year-old, who is sidelined with a season-ending shoulder injury, will continue his career in France after being snapped up by Top 14 club Racing 92 as the replacement for retiring Argentinian Patricio Albacete.
Bird’s career is highlighted by two appearances for the All Blacks, one in 2013 and one in 2014.
But he has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons, after swapping the Crusaders for the Chiefs. A foot problem kept him out of the first half of the 2016 season and despite returning to full health last year, a shoulder injury, suffered in the opening round, saw his 2018 campaign cut short.
Chiefs team-mates Messam (Toulon), Ngatai (Lyon) and Tim Nanai-Williams (Clermont Auvergne) will also depart for France at the end of the season.