The Chiefs ran in nine tries to five in a stunning 59-34 victory over the Blues at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Saturday night, ending any chance the defending champions had of a home quarter-final and locking them into a long trip south to face the Crusaders in Christchurch next weekend.
Wallace Sititi captained the Chiefs for the first time and was the standout figure in a powerful all-round performance. Sititi capped his night with a try after spotting the Blues defence napping at a quick penalty tap, the kind of opportunistic play that RNZ described as the hallmark of his evening. Wing Daniel Sinkinson crossed twice as the Chiefs blew the game open in the final quarter, having gradually pulled away from a contest that had been gripping for almost an hour.
The Blues actually led early in Hamilton, surprising a Chiefs side that had finished the regular season as the second seed. The visitors trailed by only four points at the break and were still very much alive at 26-20 with 27 minutes left to play. From there, however, the Chiefs forwards began to dictate the contact area and an electric backline took advantage of the space that opened up as Blues defenders began to tire.
The defeat is the Blues third straight loss in a New Zealand derby, after earlier losses to the Crusaders and Hurricanes during the regular season. It is a galling end to the round robin for a side that won the title only two seasons ago, and it sets up a forbidding finals path. The Blues now have to win at Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch, on a ground where they have not had a Super Rugby victory in many years, just to keep their season alive.
The Crusaders booked their spot in the top four with a 47-14 win of their own over the Hurricanes in Christchurch on Friday night, finishing third on the table after a slow start to the year that they have now thoroughly buried. The Christchurch crowd has been one of the loudest at any Super Rugby venue all season, and the Blues will arrive next weekend as clear underdogs against a Crusaders side that has rediscovered its old swagger.
The full Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final lineup is now confirmed. The Hurricanes will travel to Canberra to face the Brumbies on Friday night at 6pm New Zealand time. Saturday delivers a Kiwi double header, with the Blues taking on the Crusaders at Apollo Projects Stadium from 4pm, before the Chiefs host the fifth-placed Queensland Reds at FMG Stadium Waikato at 6.40pm. Schedule details are listed on the official Super Rugby Pacific site.
For the Chiefs, the Hamilton win continues a season of building consistency. They have lost only a handful of matches all year and have steadily restocked their squad after several years of falling short in big finals. The performance of Sititi will give head coach Clayton McMillan plenty to consider as a leadership option for the future, and the form of Sinkinson on the wing has been one of the surprise stories of the back half of the season.
The Blues will now have to lick their wounds and find a different way to peak. Their pack remains powerful and they have plenty of strike across the backline, but the loss of momentum at this stage of the campaign is a problem they have struggled with before. Discipline at the breakdown was a particular issue in Hamilton, and they cannot afford a repeat against a Crusaders forward unit that punishes any sloppy ruck work.
For neutral fans, the bracket has produced an unusually compelling weekend in prospect. Three New Zealand sides remain in contention, two Australian sides will host quarter-finals, and the heavyweight Crusaders versus Blues clash in Christchurch is the kind of fixture that ordinarily takes place much later in the season. The NZ Herald notes the wider implications for the table, and it is also the first time in a number of seasons that all three top four New Zealand teams have looked genuinely capable of going all the way.
The wider question now is whether any of the Kiwi sides can hold off the Australian challenge. The Brumbies have been consistent at home all year and will fancy their chances against a Hurricanes side that has struggled to back up its better performances. The Reds have an emerging young squad that travels well, but the Chiefs at FMG Stadium Waikato remain a formidable proposition, particularly with Sititi captaining a confident group.
Either way, the Blues have plenty of work to do. Their dream of a Super Rugby double has been put on the road, and they will need a season defining performance in Christchurch to keep that dream alive.
Do you think the Blues can pull off the upset in Christchurch, or are the Crusaders about to send the defending champions home? Have your say in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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