Super Rugby: Contrasting semis, but who has the momentum?

Braydon Ennor of the Crusaders scoring a try against the Blues and Cortez Ratima of the Chiefs in action against the Brumbies.
Photo: John Davidson / AAP Image / Lukas Coch / www.photosport

Opinion – It’s all set for a showdown in The Tron next weekend.

After two extremely contrasting semifinals, the Chiefs and Crusaders will square off in Hamilton next weekend for the Super Rugby Pacific 2023 title.

The Chiefs did it through a tense, kick-heavy display in the wet against the Brumbies, while the defending champion Crusaders laid on an embarrassing blowout of the Blues.

Looking at both games, you’d have to say the defending champs are taking in the momentum. A lot was made of the fact that the Crusaders are banged up, but it failed to mention that the players they were bringing in to replace their injured list weren’t exactly substandard. Jack Goodhue for David Havili, that’s a pretty decent swap.

The Chiefs, on the other hand, played out a defense-heavy game in their win. It probably wasn’t what they had in mind but that is now two games in a row where they’ve been pushed to the brink by Australian opposition. Yes, they won both and that can be taken as a sign that they are up for the big moments, but it does feel that they’re staggering somewhat rather than charging to the finish line after such a dominant season.

So, what sort of game are we going to see next weekend? One thing is for sure: both Scott Robertson and Clayton McMillan would have been eyeing up the prospect of playing each other in the final for a while. Last season’s decider was a coaching masterclass by Robertson, who planned meticulously to pick apart the Blues’ lineout and force them to dread every time the ball went into touch.

There will be a war plan for the Chiefs, but it cannot be discounted that this year the home side became the first team ever to beat the Crusaders twice in a season. The first one was a shock and awe raid down to Christchurch, the second a test-match like performance in front of a sellout crowd in Hamilton.

That’s what the scene will be on Saturday night as well, in what should be an excellent showcase of two stacked teams and a Super Rugby coaching swansong for Robertson.

Other observations from the weekend:

Ardie Savea turned out for his Oriental-Rongotai club in Wellington yesterday which is, on the surface level, fantastic for grassroots rugby. The effect that has on every kid in that club seeing one of the world’s best players running around in the same jersey they do every Saturday cannot be underestimated.

But it does raise an interesting question, namely what was the point of resting Savea and other All Blacks throughout Super Rugby when he’s allowed to do this? Yes, it’s obviously not the same level of intensity but the risk of injury is still very real. It’s probably better to take the goodwill factor first over that strange double standard, though, given how many rose-tinted memories it produced of when the All Blacks playing club rugby was a completely normal occurrence.

Footage of Ardie turning out for Ories against @PonekeFC at the Polo Ground. Commentators seem a bit star struck: pic.twitter.com/1s5Zxo9Kmh

— Jamie Wall (@JamieWall2) June 17, 2023

Sounds like a broken record but once again it’s that time of the year the All Blacks suck up much-needed oxygen that should be fuelling the hype of the final. The timing of the squad naming, tonight at 7.30pm, is annoying and stupid when it could have waited a week and provided the perfect book end to Super Rugby Pacific.

While it’s a total drag for the media attending it, the venue of Te Awamutu RFC is clearly a special one for Ian Foster and, like Savea, it’s probably a net positive that he’s giving back to his home club. It also may have to do with the fact that it’s the only clubrooms in the country where he’s guaranteed to get a friendly reception after the last few years, though.

* Jamie Wall is a freelance sports writer, specialising in rugby.